Facility Emergency Exit, Northwest Altis
June 23st, 0220 Hours
Outside the base with bullheads at the ready and a small army of soldiers sat the operation commander of the Red Skrill, able to be defined in the crowd along with his fellow captains by the bright orange color of their hazmat suits.
He was well respected in the terrorist organization, able to get anything he wanted through manipulation and brute force. Other soldiers just knew him by his nickname, the Stubborn Bull, mainly because he was a bull Faunus.
He smiles as more men poured into the tunnels to retrieve their target. Latest reports say that they had her and the secondary objective pinned in a closet near their infiltration point. Perfect.
It was only a matter of time before they were snuffed out and captured so they can harness the power of the legendary weapon of the Faunus. With it, they can finally rid the planet of the vile scum of the human race and bring forth an era where Faunus rule.
Getting information about the weapon was a surprise, but before it could be seized a Huntress was already sent to recover it. Only two soldiers made it back from the mission telling them about where the craft went.
Immediately several Bullheads armed with anti-aircraft weapons were sent to down the craft and were successful, but the storm in the region prevented them from recovering it before this… the new island got the weapon first.
After a few years of recon, it was plain that the island was too well defended to blindly assault it. They needed information, and a means to actually fight these new humans. That way was discovered during a risky operation on one of their smaller islands, getting the intel on several secret facilities and new weapons and equipment that would prove useful.
He just wished that whoever he sent copied the file on the weapons and equipment as opposed to taking them, the fool nearly blew the whole operation and forced them to act even faster in executing the plan.
Building and manufacturing these new weapons was easy, they had several secret facilities scattered across remnant that was capable of constructing all of them. Granted this 'gunpowder' propellant was unheard and particularly hard to produce, they managed, and the commander couldn't be more pleased with how it performs.
Once everything was set, they put their plan into action only for it to rapidly change when they learned that the daughter of the target was on the island. The commander saw an opportunity to use the daughter as a means to force the target to later spread the disease and adjusted accordingly.
It was harder to find this base than the one the objective was kept initially, but again he and his men were able to manage, using the chaos of their surprise attack as a distraction to lay low and move quickly without being seen.
Now, everything was falling into place, once the weapon was secured they could leave this wretched island and return home to further plan for the annihilation of humankind.
"Sir?" a low-level private asked, getting the commander's attention from talking with another captain.
"What is it private?" he said, voice rich with authority and pride.
"It's probably nothing, but… those clouds seem… strange to me… don't they?" he asked.
The commander looked at the clouds that the private mentioned and now that the commander looked, they were strange. They were dark clouds, only barely visible in the moonlight of the early morning. What was strange was the way that they moved; they were shifting against the wind, something that clouds aren't meant to do.
Suddenly the entire wall of clouds lit up in a display of lighting that branched out deep in the cloud which then shook the air with a loud roar of thunder which sounded… off, like it wasn't truly thunder but something more powerful.
The commander gazed at the cloud with an air of scrutiny, analyzing how it moved and acted. The clouds made him feel uneasy, his captains eyed upon the cloud in similar concern. The storm would prove difficult to fly through in the Bullheads not impossible, but difficult.
But that was an issue for later, the captain turned back to the private "It does look strange, however, we will have to deal with it later. We must focus on our objective first."
The private said no more than a "Yes sir." And saluted by putting a fist over his heart and returning to his work.
The captain turned back the captain he was speaking to when all of the sudden.
KROOM!
The commander was deafened by what sounded like an explosion plus its now fading shockwave nearby and he looked over to see one of the Bullheads was reduced to a flaming pile of burnt and twisted metal. Several men that were close by were dead, killed by the intense shockwave the explosion had.
"WHAT THE-"
He never got to finish what he was saying as he watched a bolt of lightning strike the next Bullhead over, the blast big enough to flip the aircraft on its head before it too exploded in a fiery display.
Then, two more lightning strikes happened close together on the last of their transports, the heavier versions of the bullheads exploding more violently as their larger fuel reserves ignited.
The radio nearby crackled to life, the second team at the entrance of the facility calling them in a panic "Commander! This is Team A! We've lost our transports, some freak storm! What are our orders!" he heard, deducing that the same thing had happened to them.
He grabbed the transmitter and brought it up "The same thing happened here! But we cannot falter now, stick to the plan! We will requisition ourselves transport from the humans here! Do you hear me?!" He said, his anger boiling.
"Yes, sir! But what- wait… what is that! OH GOD NO- krrrzk" the radio cut out with that final message.
"Team A! TEAM A! son of a, WHAT IS GOING ON!?"
Suddenly one of the soldiers pointed to the slope of a shorter mountain opposite to them "Sir, what is that!?"
The commander looked, and in the distance, he could see a light on the mountain, it was unnatural and bright, a brilliant blue in color. There was another strike of lightning that lit up the whole landscape for a moment and it brightened up the slope long enough to make out a lone figure on the hill.
It was a person as far as they could tell, with something on its head that was giving off the bright glow they all saw in the dark.
Another strike of lightning, this time in the vicinity of the figure and suddenly it was gone like it was never there. It didn't take a genius to know that something strange was happening, something unnatural.
And then, there was a gunshot followed by the scream of one of the commander's men, he looked over and saw several men rushing over to help, some guns waving around and scanning the dark. Five men approached the wounded soldier, one crouching down to check the wound.
But the man didn't see anything wrong with the soldier, only blood smeared on his hazmat suit. Curiously the man looked up at the ask of his companion only for it to ignite in a bright blue, the last thing the man saw before the faux Faunus drew a forty magnum and shot him in the head.
The others were quick to react but not quick enough. Almost like lightning the disguised soldier aimed at each of them and shot them as well, four bodies hitting the dirt.
Others around exclaimed and opened fire on the attacker, pouring lead his way desperately trying to kill him.
The commander stepped back as he watched the new threat disappeared in a blue flash only to appear elsewhere dressed in new gear.
Dread filled the commander's being; he recognized the person before them, the leader of this island and its government. There have only been spoken rumors of this man, none was ever proven, but none ever described something like this.
He was seen a great warrior by his people, a man held in high respects of everyone around him, said to have led entire armies to victory and feared on the battlefield.
They only knew this from their deep seeded agents, those who got goodie goodie with the higher brass of this islands who regaled them in such rumors that were later relayed to their central command.
He stood in the now pelting rain dressed in a hunter's coat and baseball cap, eyes bright blue and glowing in the night, face bearing a scowl that was directed at every soldier here. The commander was staring in the face of an actual god among men… and he had enticed his wrath.
Coalition Private Reserve, Northwest Altis
June 23st, 0220 Hours
Mark gazed upon the mountain in the distance, a project that he was greatly proud of and somewhat saddened by. Long ago, way back during the Cold War on Earth, he needed an auxiliary base of operations. This was before he chose the CENTCOM location as it is today which is actually in a much better location than this base.
Mark had seized the mountainous region and deconstructed nearby civilian architecture to make it into a private reserve, ripe for a base such as this, and when it was in its hay day it could provide more than enough for the Coalition.
Now it was an 'Area 51' of sorts, which saddened Mark because he really prefers this base as opposed to the new one.
What's done is done, however, and Mark has to live with the decisions that he's made.
He smiled fondly at old memories of the place, memories that were soured when his eyes flicked over to the only visible military section on the mountain, a large helipad that led to an indented blast door which was, well, blasted open.
He scowled at the bastards that defiled his creation with their needless campaign and his blood began to boil. He could see a total of three 'Bullheads' on the pad and an undetermined amount of soldiers who were milling about. Easy pickings.
But Mark knew better, these soldiers were capable, yes, but this base was built on defense and he knew that they didn't just use that tiny force to cut through his men. There had to be more.
So he looked down at the base of the mountain towards the West and saw their second attack force that had blown a hole into the escape tunnels and was flooding in using larger bullheads. How they were able to find that was beyond Mark but the man didn't care, all he cared about was saving the rest of those trapped inside the tomb his base had become.
Mark closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose, exhaling through his mouth slowly, mentally preparing himself for what was about to come.
Slowly behind him, darkened clouds began to form, blocking out the moon and making the once bright night into pitch darkness, the land only visible to those with natural night vision or special equipment. Mark was using the later of the two.
Mark felt the power behind the storm, actually felt it. It was coursing through his very being, begging him to come out.
Above him, the clouds flashed and thundered violently as the storm continued to grow and fester above him. And then Mark raised his hand and, well, pointed.
As if the storm was sentient it followed the direction of his finger and started to move slowly, still growing, still flashing with brilliant bolts of electricity and raw natural power.
And then the show began.
Mark watched as these bolts sudden started striking the ground, specifically targeting their transports and completely destroying them all. He even allowed himself a small smile as he heard the distant screams of men dying in the blasts. Karma was collecting its due for them.
Mark then waited. Watched as the storm covered everything visible, turning the whole landscape into a dark and black void, only lit by the flashes of lightning for brief moments.
Once he saw the last of the natural moonlight fade in the storm he acted.
One moment he was on the next mountain over, the next he was on the helipad he was watching, back to the burning wreck of one of their Bullheads. He saw a soldier on the radio turn and look at him. He only screamed "What is that!" before Mark charged.
Mark never caught what he said when he charged but it didn't matter. He didn't have the vocal cords to speak anymore, removed by the serrated edge of an old-fashioned Trench Knife.
The others in the area tried to react, but Mark was gone before a shot could even be fired. He was then back on the hillside again, having removed communication between the two groups. The first group wouldn't last long alone, not against the Special Forces that suddenly 'appeared' in wake of Mark's disappearance.
He could already see the tracers as the silenced weapons opened fire on the now surrounded forces up top.
Mark then turned his attention to the base of the mountain near the sewer line that doubled as an escape route, a plan witch Mark implemented in the sewer out of necessity as opposed to choice; there was no more room to dig out another tunnel.
He saw the soldiers down there were also in a panic as well, unaware that the reaper was standing nearby ready to reap their souls. Mark was unaware of it, but his most noticeable trait, that being his glowing eyes, had started to show in the dark.
Marl only realized this when he saw a few of the yellow-clad soldiers turn and look at him. All he did in return was glare directly at them all.
He then disappeared again as a lightning strike from the storm stroked near him and he decided to play the trick card. He mimicked a gunshot witched echoed across the area and then he screamed loudly in faux pain. His body was then suddenly clad in the same orange hazmat of the soldiers around him and topped it off with fake blood.
Now he waited, huddled down and 'writhing' in pain from the fake wounds.
Then he waited as several men took notice of him and approached weapons at the ready. One crouched down and inspected the nonexistent wound on his lower chest. Suddenly he looked up at Mark's face only to see the same blue glow of his eyes.
That was the last thing he saw before he died along with the others that came to help him.
And then Mark was gone again and back, now dressed in his normal equipment and equipped with a standard SCAR-L with minimal attachments. Nobody had a chance to react, only to scream in surprise before Mark switched off his safety and fired, the specialized bullets of his weapon passing clean through Aura and bodies like a molten knife through butter.
Shot after shot, never running full automatic and never missing. Mark pinpointed every single discharge of his weapon, the rounds finding their exact mark no matter how much he jerked or twisted in place.
A lot of the men didn't even get to raise their rifles fully before falling to the ground dead as a doornail, and Mark enjoyed knowing he caught them off guard.
Payback for what they did to the island of Stratis.
And when a few got the chance to actually fire, Mark was gone again, appearing somewhere else and cutting down more and more men. The process repeated again and again until the number dwindled to nothing, only left being those clad in yellow which mark already knew were commanders of sorts, all unarmed and looking at him in fear.
Mark approached, somewhat drenched in the blood of those he slaughtered, looking like a demon from Hell come for their souls.
He stopped in front of them, only one standing straight while the others used him as a shield, obviously hoping their more or less calm leader will protect them. "Remove your mask…" Mark demanded. Slowly the Faunus did, revealing that he was, in fact, a Faunus, two small bull horns on his head and a stereotypical gold ring piercing in his nose.
"So you are the Red Skrill… thought as much."
"Yes… we are a part of the Red Skrill." The Faunus spoke.
"Well. In that case, as per the Coalition War Criminal Act of 2001, you are hereby placed under arrest pending trial by a court of law for the involvement of violent actions committed against the Coalition and its people."
As Mark said this several dark clothed Special Forces soldiers came from the darkness and grabbed several of the men behind the commander, handcuffing them and forcing them to the ground. They did not touch the commander, however.
"Will you harm my men…?" the commander asked, voice monotone and not conveying any emotion.
Mark answered, "No, as per the act, Coalition forces are not allowed to harm prisoners of war until charged or until the war with their country has concluded and they are allowed to return home."
A soldier then cuffed the commander and forced him to his knees "…How can I rust a filthy human the likes of you."
"Because… I'm not even human." Mark's eyes flashed blue for a second and he walked past the prisoners and the spec-ops men who stood at attention and barely moved, almost as if they were mechanical.
The commander watched him leave, expression never changing, but deep down he was shocked. How can he not be human? What exactly was he then?
Escape Tunnel Entrance, Altis
June 23st, 0227 Hours
Mark had made his way through the dredge and gunk that filled to main sewer line with ease, all the Faunus soldiers that were ordered to go in already at their positions at the entrance. None of them knew that Mark was encroaching on them silently in the tunnels, eyes aglow in a brilliant blue.
He rounded the last corner and saw two Faunus watching the escape door.
Mark didn't even hesitate, drawing a silenced sidearm and putting two well-placed shots down range, their bodies slumping against a grate and sliding down quietly, the shell casings from his weapon landing in the water, barely making a sound.
As he came to the door he stacked up, peeking in to see the mounted gun and several of the hazmat clad Faunus aiming their weapons at something down a hall further down.
Mark pulled back and looked across at the once empty now occupied spot to see a man dressed in heavy juggernaut armor wielding a massive fifty caliber, ammo belt leading to a large pack being carried by another soldier.
He nodded to the Juggernaut and the man silently walked out and stood in the doorway.
Mark didn't have to look to know what happened when the harmonious sound of a fifty caliber machine gun pumping lead filled his ears. Huge swaths of fifty caliber bullets filled the halls and easily ripped massive gore filled holes in the soldiers.
Men screamed in absolute agony before they died thereafter of extreme lead poison and massive external hemorrhaging.
Slowly the Juggernaut started to march into the hall while returning fire bounced harmlessly off the armor he wore. The soldier carrying his ammo used him as a shield against the oncoming fire, carrying the heavy ammo can as it slowly but surely got lighter and lighter, brass casing clatter against the floor in a symphony of ringing.
It only stopped when the last of the soldiers stopped moving and the once white hall was painted red in blood and viscera from the mauling.
Mark walked forward slowly, loudly, making his steps heard because e he knew that it was not over. The dead around him was only half of the forces that were here, more had to be on the other side cornering whoever was there.
He was right. Once he rounded the corner he looked directly at every one of the soldiers there, eyes glowing in a hate-filled glare that most likely made several standing there soil themselves. They had helplessly watched as their fellow comrades were cut down like grass. And the way they perceived it all of that was caused all by this one man right in front of them.
Not a single one of them dared to move. They all just watched him… Waiting… For anything to happen.
After some time spent sizing up all of them, Mark spoke, his tone caring more authority than probably necessary. "If you wish to survive… you will all drop your weapons immediately…"
The sound of dozens of weapons hitting the ground was so sudden and loud it sounded more like someone had dumped a crate of AKs out than several men simply placing their weapons down.
Mark smiled and said nothing as several spec ops soldiers rounded the corner behind him, weapons raised, ordering the Faunus soldiers to place their hands behind their heads.
Mark walked with them and looked down at the body of Boon, his body riddled with more holes than before due to crossfire. He crouched down and placed a hand on his still warm corpse and closed his eyes.
He looked back up at Tom who was being helped by Cole with his one good arm, Yang being carried by her mother and Ruby still holding her weapon tight and staying close to her mother, her eyes glazed over as she looked around at the bodies.
Mark grabbed the dog tags of Boon and tore them off before standing straight again and walking over to the battle-fatigued group. Cole and Tom went to salute but Mark stopped them. "No… I am not deserving of respect the likes of that… not after what has happened here today."
Mark looked at the three tourists, Summer giving him an inscrutable look. He turned back to Cole and held out the dog tags, Tom reaching out and taking.
Mark bowed his head and without saying another word turned and left, being replaced with a team of combat medics who began taking the wounded out through the now cleared entrance elevator, placing a cover over Boon's body to later be collected.
Mark left the way he came, by simply vanishing. Where he ended up was nowhere on Altis, Malden, or even Stratis.
As of now, naval elements and marines were in the process of retaking the last of the three islands, actual human divisions were in the process of transport to the compound he just left to begin clean up and damage control.
He left command of the island to his counsel and his military staff, knowing that if anything came up they would easily handle it.
Mark, on the other hand, had come to a place where he could be alone, if just for a moment.
It was on an uninhabited island that was under the Coalition's control, abandoned after the Cold War and Malden campaign due to its low strategic value and condition. He looked down at the two cities the island once had, now overgrown and rundown buildings.
The island's name was lost to Mark, a footnote in the history of the Coalition because of its unimportance. He stood at the peak of a mountain, the island's only notable feature, and just looked out at the pitch black sea deep in thought.
He thought how he was unable to keep his promise.
He thought how he was going to take care of Summer and her family.
He thought how he was going take care of the Red Skrill and retaliate.
He thought about how this entire incident would affect his nation… his people.
He just stood there for whoever knows how long while his well-oiled machine of a government worked tirelessly to bounce back from what happened.
He didn't even realize the sun was rising until a glint from a pond nearby flashed in his eye and he actually paid attention to the world around him.
He still had no clue what to do… but with the morning rolling around and his people waking up he needed to be back. A press conference was in order to explain what happened on Stratis and the lesser known facility that housed his charges.
Many things were going to change, not a single one of them were good. All Mark could hope for was that it wouldn't lead to chaos.
Outside Kavala City Hall, Altis
June 23th, 0913 Hours
It was only hours after the attack and already the whole island and abroad knew about it and people were uneasy and afraid. If something wasn't done to quell the panic then it would divulge into pandemonium and riots would then ensue. So to solve the issue, Zeus called an early Press conference.
Even with how hastily it was prepared the conference stage was in perfect condition and was posted with several of Zeus's personal guards.
In front of the stage were the few press channels that supply the Coalition with its everyday news reports. Even so, with all the media conjugated on one spot, there was still a large crowd.
And that crowd suddenly erupted in a barrage of questions as Zeus walked out flanked by Seth and his Chief political advisor.
"Chief Harrison! Chief Harrison!" a woman for the Altis Nation News cried "Is it true?! Has Stratis been attacked by forces from the mainland?!" she screamed.
"Chief Harrison! Rumors have spread that a secret military installation was attacked by these same forces, can you confirm these rumors!?" a man from the Daily Trumpet, a popular newspaper that is mainly on Malden.
Questions like those and more piled up on one another until Zeus was finally able to calm them down enough to speak. He cleared his throat and straightened out a small set of papers that were actually blank, the where just there for aesthetic.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Coalition… at exactly 23:54 hours yesterday morning a brutal and devastating attack hit Stratis forcing a full-scale evacuation and retreat. It is still unknown how many casualties there were in the attack or the number of damages. Estimates so far are in the thousands of casualties and billions of dollars in damage."
The people were respectfully quiet, waiting and listening as all this was broadcasted live around the coalition.
"As of right now we still haven't fully reclaimed Stratis from the Hostile forces, but reports have come back claiming that these forces are pulling out in full retreat."
A few of the crowd looked at each other in confusion. With such a foothold why would they pull out?
"It is believed that the attack on Stratis was a ruse from the start, a ploy to direct attention from the real target which was on Altis. Due to military classification, I cannot go into specifics about what they were after."
The newspaper reporters were furiously writing down notes desperate to get every juicy detail they could as it came to them.
"…As the leader of this great nation, I take full responsibility for everything that has happened. It is believed that they stole classified schematics from us which I should have kept under better guard and then used them to create weapons to use against us. If I had caught this theft earlier I could have prevented this bloody string of events that happened to us… I am sorry."
Several people in the crowd looked at their leader in shock, jaws open wide enough to catch flies, one of the cameramen actually having to quickly readjust because he dipped a little. A few were sympathetic for their leader; even if he says that it was his fault the schematics were stolen. That doesn't mean he should be blamed for the attack, he wasn't the one who ordered it.
"But…These bloody events will not go without retaliation… we have been directly and violently attacked by a foreign power that still possesses means to attack citizens of the Coalition… so… as Commander and Chief of these United Islands I am declaring war against the terrorist organization known as the Red Skrill, thank you."
Mark waved as flashing cameras and a louder roar of questions was thrown at him, all of which he ignored as he stepped off stage and disappeared into Kavala City Hall, reporters swarming the entrance still trying to get a note from their tight-lipped leader.
It was ironic, another nation following in the footsteps of the United States vs the Taliban after the worst terrorist attack on American soil in history. But with the Coalition it was different than just throwing meat to the grinder and hoping it would finally jam.
You see when the small trio of islands was brought to this world all those years ago it lost it's one major feature that made the first few decades on this planet its own special form of hell. Satellite Communication. Without that, the three islands could not communicate properly and thus there were several decades of martial law enacted to keep the peace.
So came the era of space once again, an abandoned man-made island airstrip north of Malden becoming the hotspot for new and improved space travel. Rockets were designed and launched over the course of fifteen years once Zeus approved the idea and a suitable area was found.
But they did not just launch a couple communication satellites. The launched some military spec satellites which constantly fed the Coalition with data from around the world from both camera surveillance and on-the-ground communications with agents picked for this task.
This is what gave the Coalition the Advantage. They had a communication and spy grid more advanced than this entire planet had to offer. Information was what was going to win the Coalition the war.
Seven days after Zeus had declared war on the Red Skrill and began pouring all his available espionage assets into the field, Cinder and Emerald included, they had produced significant results. Namely the location of nearly if not all Red Skrill locations on Remnant.
Immediately the Third and Home fleet of the Coalition were supplied and launched in the nation's largest and most coordinated counterattack that had ever been executed.
Thirty ships, fifteen per fleet, both sent to two major bases on the map. The airstrip that the attack on Stratis was organized and launched as well as what appeared to be a recruitment and training camp south of Menagerie.
It took a full two days to send the fleets to their targets, four if you count for all the preparation and recalls that the navy command had to do. But it was no matter; both of the fleets were sights to behold and ones that were not going to go unnoticed by the locals of both areas.
The world was changing and was starting with a bang.
Kuo Kuana, Menagerie
July 1st, 1212 Hours
Blake had yet to find much on the artifact which plagued Ruby's mother, not many places had detailed books about the story and those that did never spoke of any way to remove the bracelet.
The cat Faunus sighed and closed her eyes in thought. Her parents tried to help, although they were hesitant when she said she could tell them why she needed to know about it, however even they couldn't turn up much about it.
So Blake was left scrounging around the market stalls of the small Faunus village, none of them having anything of use so far.
She looked at another stall nearby and walked up to it, the shopkeeper busy with another customer so he was unaware of her presence as she browsed the literature he had available. Of course, as she had expected, nothing here was what she was looking for… but she did linger on the new Ninjas of Love book longer than she was going to admit.
As she looked more deeply into what the stall had available, people around her started to gawk and point at something. She didn't notice, too engrossed in finding the information that she needed, but she soon began to notice when several more people began pointing, and even rushing past towards a gathering crowd on the other side of the square she was in. She twisted and turned, watching some of the people rush by.
"What's going on?" she offhandedly asked. A person slowed only for a moment and pointed off towards the horizon "There's strange ships heading for shore, ain't like anything I've seen!" the man said before rushing off again pass the crowd and to the port to get a better view.
Blake squinted off into the distance and saw what the man spoke about. Far off just cresting the horizon were massive ships, a whole fleet's worth, all on a course for the continent.
Blake's eyes went wide. She knew those ships; she had seen them briefly in her trip back from Altis, their design was unmistakable. They were warships, all of them.
Was this an attack on her home? Had Yang been right in not trusting Mark?
Just as that thought passed through her head she caught a glint of something in the sky and looked up only for something large and loud to roar above the city, forcing her and everyone around to duck and scream. Several people dove for cover, into buildings as shortly after two more of the same type of craft flew overhead again at a low altitude.
Blake's breathing quickened and she turned back to the ships as they steadily got larger and larger. What was going on!?
She then heard an explosion to the south and turned to see the three fast flying machines veer from the ground and go airborne again, a plume of smoke rising steadily into the sky far to the south Kuo Kuana.
She couldn't figure out what was going on, she needed answers so she resorted to running, running back to her house.
The large castle resembling building was on full alert, the guards taking up defensive positions with the little armaments they had and turning to the skies, Blake's father out in front also looking up. No doubt he was trying to figure out what was going on, Blake knew that for certain.
Ghira's gaze fell on his daughter as she approached and he voiced his concern "Blake! What is happening!? Do you know what is going on!?"
Sadly the Faunus in question could not give her father a good answer "I have no idea, just get inside. I'm trying to figure it out."
"How!?"
"It's hard to explain, I'll tell you later, just get inside!" Blake retorted, dodging past her father and inside, brushing past her mother in a dead sprint for her room. Once she was in there she scrambled around looking for the one thing here that would give her answers. "Where is it, where is it!" she said to herself.
Of course, worried, her parents followed her to her room and stopped at the door, watching her go through her stuff. "Honey what are you looking for?" her mother asked, her tone betraying her worried state.
Blake ignored her mother finally pulling a box out from under her bed where she use to keep… certain things and pried the lid open, the only thing in there being the satellite phone that Mark gave to her. "Found it."
Ghira and Khali looked at each other and back to their daughter confused, even more so when she flipped out the antenna and dialed a number.
After a painstakingly long time, there was an answer, it wasn't Mark, however.
"Division of Communications, how may I direct your call."
"Hi yes, I need to speak to Mark, it's urgent, something is wrong," Blake said to the woman who picked up, her voice shaking in panic.
"I'm sorry, but may I ask who is speaking?" The woman on the line asked.
"Blake, what is going on? What are you doing and what kind of phone even is that?!" Ghira asked, his patience growing thin.
Blake groaned "Not now Dad, just hang on one more minute."
Just then the aircraft from earlier made another pass overhead, the screams of the engines rattling the house. "Oum above!" Ghira scream, pulling his wife close protectively, Khali latching onto him.
Blake focused back on the phone "Is everything alright miss?" the woman on the line asked.
"No! Get me Marcus, NOW!" Blake screamed into the receiver, the woman on the other end wincing at the harshness of the tone, but nevertheless complying.
"I'm patching you to him now."
-Meanwhile in Kavala-
Mark was in his war room at his office in Kavala coordinating with his staff and a handful of Generals making decisions about how to go about the next phase of what was being popularly dubbed Operation: Red Kill by military staff. So far the First and Home fleet were executing their task on schedule, no doubt riling up the locals a bit with their fireworks.
I mean, the Home Fleet has an active Iowa-class battleship that was bought from the Americans before they could scrap it. Its cannons were no doubt scorching earth at the sight that the Red Skrill used to house those Frogfoots.
Reports were good; the fleets were in position and beginning mission, bringing forth a special kind of Hell to those that did their home wrong. However, Marcus wasn't expecting this.
"Sir, a phone call for you." One of the aides said, holding out a phone for Zeus to take.
Mark gave the woman a confused look "From who?"
"We don't know, but it sounds like she is in a war zone."
Now further confused, Mark brought the phone up "Hello? This is Chief Marcus Harrison; may I ask who is speaking?"
"MARCUS, What in the name of the creator is happening!" a familiar voice yelled at him from the other line.
Mark had to pull the phone away from his head to avoid losing his hearing. Serval of the others in the room looked up in shock and stared at him and the phone. Mark held up a finger "I'll… be right back." And like that he was in the hall with the phone back to his ear.
"Miss Belladonna, are you trying to make me deaf?" Mark asked, unamused.
"I don't care, I want to know why there are warships on my shores and strange aircraft flying at ludicrous speeds over my home." Blake punctuated her words when she said home.
"Oh… that. Yes, sorry we didn't inform you. There was an attack on our homeland. A lot of people got hurt in the attack... Those responsible have an encampment south of Kuo Kuana which we are targeting." Mark said solemnly.
"And what gi-"
"Yang is in a coma…" Mark interrupted.
"…what?" Blake said voice now hollow.
"Somehow they located the base where Ruby was being treated… they assaulted it to try and capture Summer… Yang was caught in the crossfire and suffered internal bleeding. She's lucky to be alive." Mark said, his voice giving away how he truly felt.
He was still beating himself up about it, blaming himself even though he could have never known it was going to happen. He felt responsible for it, how could he not after promising them all that they would be safe here. That was a promise that he broke. Now he was going to have to live with it.
"Will… will she be alright?" Blake asked, sounding on the verge of tears.
"We believe so… but we are still finding bits of shrapnel from the bullet in her system and her Aura makes surgery complex because it keeps sealing her back up after a short period."
There was silence on the other side, Blake not saying a single word.
Khali and Ghira starred at their daughter who had a haunted look while she stared blankly at the wall.
"…Listen, the operation will be over soon. Once the bombing run is complete a sweep team will be sent in and a single recon squad will do a fly by and locate the complex they have in town… as a courtesy, we will leave them to you… if you want the recon team to stop by and pick you up so you can see her."
"…Please do…" was all Blake said.
Mark said nothing and ended the call already back on the phone to get in contact with the Marine commander on the Liberator to relay his orders.
Blake turned to her parents with a hurt look, on the border of breaking down. Khali's motherly instincts kicked in and she went over to her daughter and hugged her close. Ghira kept his distance.
He already knew what he wanted to know anyway, he could hear the other man speaking over the phone, and his wife heard the same.
Blake's friend was hurt badly…
And even as the sound of copious amounts of heavy helicopters flew overhead to the rising smoke in the south they sat in that room comforting their child.
All Blake could do was cry.
16 nautical miles offshore, South Anima Continent
July 1st, 1208 Hours
Before the operation on Menagerie even began, the operation on the hostile Red Skrill airfield was in effect. The airfield was on a largely uninhabited island that was a part of the Anima continent. It was a significantly large airfield, however, it was hastily created which meant that it wasn't an old base.
It was probably constructed only weeks before the siege on Stratis began; this was good, that meant that the defenses were lackluster at best and should be easy enough to penetrate and obliterate. Especially for the christened ship Malden's Pride the US Iowa-class Battleship retrofitted with the latest technology. While she was an old ship that couldn't be used much anymore, she was a reliable ship.
The sixteen-inch guns could not be beaten when it came to shore bombardment. While Cruise missiles and other forms of guided munitions were good, artillery bombardment, especially that of 406mm shells. The triple barrel gunhouses were unbeatable in sheered and ungodly hellfire.
And here the Malden's Pride over fifteen miles offshore with a full broadside prepared for firing, all her escort ships slowly getting into range with their own weapons, as well as the Freedom, preparing a wing of A-10s for CAS runs.
The base had seen them coming already and was preparing their jets for a counter attack, some already spooling their thrusters on the landing strip.
The Russian designed planes would never get the chance to strike back against the fleet.
There was a pause. A single moment were all sound ceased. The sound of the gulls died out, the sounds of distant waves crashing on shore vanished, and the creak of the ships in the softly lolling water was no more. Just blank, peaceful, silence.
And then, the spotter for one of the guns screamed "FIIIIIRE!"
And more joined in, gun commanders, loaders, Cruise missile designators, all screaming or saying the same simple word in a symphony of accents and voices all around the fleet.
Then… the sound of an unholy can of whoop-ass opening shattered the silence and the eardrums of any poor bastard not wearing ear protection.
The sky lit up with the muzzle flashes of hundreds of naval guns and smoke trails of missiles launching into the sky. It was only a second before the first projectile hit its mark, a single shell from the Malden's Pride smacking into the ground at near terminal velocity, its payload detonating.
It had hit the jet that was just about to take off, reducing the once pristine aircraft into a wrought pile of twisted and melted slag, the fuel bursting into flames and spreading out over a large area, some splashing on some poor souls who weren't killed in the shockwave.
Then more and more munitions impacted and destroyed chunks of the base on contact, those not getting caught in the blast getting utterly destroyed by the wing of A-10s whose precision tank shredders made quick work of anything left.
When the smoke did clear after numerous other attacks and gun runs on targets of the base the admiral in charge of the fleet, an aging woman who had served under Zeus for years, smiled happily in victory. All that was left of their so-called base was a blasted Hell that would have made No-mans-land look like a playground.
In only a short few minutes of constant shore bombardment and precision hits the mission was complete and their stocks on ammunition and supplies was only barely tapped into. They had enough to completely destroy several more baes like this one with the same ferocity as they did here.
And so, that is exactly what they set out to do.
As per the orders that were given to them by Zeus they were to alter course and make way on the west side of the Sanus continent and target the base they had built to the East of Vale and North of Mountain Glen. They already know they were gonna have to piss off the locals. It was a given at this point.
It was a necessary sacrifice to bring an end to all this, however. The Red Skrill has been terrorizing the world for too long and it's time to put a stop to it. Even if it means pissing off a few tourists in the process.
Kavala, Altis
July 2nd, 1003 Hours
It was day eight of the 'Great War' against the terrorist and things were going swimmingly. Yes, casualties were bad; Yang having to take a bullet, as well the thousands killed on Stratis being another thing altogether. However, estimated enemy casualties are in the tens of thousands and we have completely denied them any area access by obliterating every scrap of land.
In about another day or two, the first fleet would reach its intended target and initiate its next mission, no doubt poking the beehive that was Vale in the process. Lord knows that Zeus was going to have the governments of this world crawling up his ass as soon as this was all over, however he believes he can handle it… at least for a little while.
Right now, Mark was busy focusing on a different matter.
The matter of Summer and that godforsaken killer bracelet on her wrist.
Blake had gathered all she could on the lore of the bracelet, still as she said; it had nothing on removing the damnable thing.
This only piled on the problems which he was having trouble focusing on.
He sighed and then there was a knock at the door. "Enter…" Mark drawled.
In came his secretary Miss Sung "Chief Harrison?"
"Yes Hue?"
"I… I was just wondering if there's anything you needed…" Hue offered, and Mark shook his head, leaning back and letting out an exasperated sigh. "I'm exhausted… and I already drained my secret brandy bottle…"
"Well… you seemed stressed… maybe talking about it could help somehow?" Hue asked.
Mark didn't say anything for a moment but leaned forward and nodded "Alright, I'll share, you have security clearance anyways…" the man gestured to the chair in front of him "Please sit, there's no need to stand like that."
Miss Sung sat in the offered chair and adjusted herself to make her more comfortable.
"So… What is the problem, sir?"
Mark chuckled "Ok, first, lose the formalities… I'm in no mood for them." Mark said lightheartedly "I get you're trying to be professional, but you and I already do things that are less than professional. I appreciate it, but now I just don't feel like it."
The Faunus nodded and Mark let out a breath "Well… where to start."
And so Mark talked. And that's all he did. All calls were ignored and all attempts to interrupt him from the outside were met with executive orders to go bother someone else.
Right now Mark wasn't the leader of his nation, but a man just talking about the problems in his life. He spent hours just talking to Hue, the woman occasionally offering support or asking questions when something confused her.
He just poured out everything he had on his chest in one go for everyone to see… well, for Miss Sung to see, but still.
And through it, all the kind woman sat and listened to him and his troubles, a large part of her feeling bad for him. He was one man with the weight of an entire world on his shoulders and it was taking its toll on him she could tell.
However, something interesting caught her attention when she finally took notice of all the books from Menagerie on his desk "Um… pardon me, Mark… but what are these books for? They look old…" she asked.
"Hmm?" Mark looked down "Oh! Those… yeah, they're for a person who is currently trapped in an ancient bracelet that we can't remove. A bracelet, no less, that can kill everyone that gets near it."
"Wait… you mean the Bracelet of the Faunus?"
"Wait, that's what it's called?"
Miss Sung nodded "How do you know that?" Mark asked her.
"Well, it's a tale passed down from my family for generations. The Bracelet of the Faunus, a weapon nobody should control for it may bring darkness across the world. Only one with true unabridged power can remove the bracelet or so the tale in my family goes."
Mark stared at her for a solid five seconds before he suddenly and violently smacked his head against the table "OF COURSE ITS THAT BLOODY SIMPLE!" he yelled into the hardwood.
Hue had jumped back at the sudden display and scooted back a bit. "Um… what do you mean?"
"What you said, 'only one with true unabridged power' all this time Summer could have taken the damn thing off herself!"
"Wait… how?" Hue asked, now confused.
"It's simple, Summer is a Silver-Eyed Huntress, the most fabled and powerful of all Huntresses on Remnant as my research says…"
Hue made an O with her mouth and nodded like she understood but in reality, she didn't.
Mark allowed himself to facepalm "All this time and we never asked the poor woman if she could just take it off herself… damn, I'm an idiot."
"You're not an idiot, Mark… you just overthought it is all… apparently, a lot of people did. It's ok now at least."
"…sigh I guess you're right… but still… a lot of people died because of that fucking thing…"
"I understand that… but look on the bright side, at least now it's over." Hue said, placing her hand on top of Mark's.
The man in question nodded slowly, a forlorn look in his eye. He looked up at hue who had a sweet smile and then did something spontaneous. He kissed her.
It was a sweet and loving kiss, passionate and sweet.
When Mark pulled away, Hue's face has tinted a red… hue. "That… what…"
"Thank you… you've helped me a lot today… and not with just figuring out what to do… I'm glad you listened to me and my ranting…" Mark spoke in a heartfelt tone.
Hue's face changed to one of understanding and content, smiling "it was my pleasure si-… Marcus… sadly we can't stay this way for long, I'm sure you have important matters now that you found out about that…"
"Yes… but don't worry, tonight we will celebrate. I'm making Beef Bistro, your favorite." Mark said with a smile.
Hue's face lit up and she hugged him from across the table "Thanks…"
"Anything for you."
Hue smiled and soon left, blowing a kiss at Mark who caught it and sent back his own. Now it was off to see about that evil bracelet and to finally destroy it for good.
Conclusion
And now, finally, we are brought to the conclusion of this long story whose plot points are practically scattered like a shotgun blast.
While some of the loose ends can be tied up in small chapters of their own, it would be a moot point given that they are only minor in comparison to the main plot. Nevertheless, I will tell you the events preceding the 'end' of this tale.
In regards to the war, it was a total success. Further missions against the Red Skrill were executed flawlessly and in a similar manner to the recruitment center and the airfield that attacked Stratis. Casualties minus the initial attack on Stratis were minor at best, only a few dozen from stragglers in the remains of camps ambushing unsuspecting soldiers.
POWs were later tried and either arrested and paroled under Coalition security while others were found guilty of more heinous crimes and thus executed under the direct order of Zeus.
The number executed was small and only included several of the more ruthless and dangerous commanders. The one captured during the secret facility's retake was one of those pardoned, although he is under permanent house arrest.
The self-proclaimed leader of the Red Skrill was among the few that were executed for their crimes.
Summer Rose did, in fact, remove the bracelet herself in a sealed environment where thereafter the offending piece of metal from Hell itself was taken by a security team and subsequently destroyed, the molten slag that remained of it being deposited in a toxic waste site.
After the deadly piece of jewelry was removed, Summer and her daughter remained while Blake and Weiss returned under the direct protection of Zeus this time to await her recovery. It took some time and some ingenuity but the shrapnel was finally removed and Yang made a full and healthy recovery, only a scar remaining on her torso.
Later the team would return to their homes and be reunited with their families, however, now all leaving the island would be alone. SDC was seized by the Coalition when it was found out that Jacques Schnee had supplied the Red Skrill with the factories capable of manufacturing the stolen hardware from Stratis.
He was tried and his inheritance was passed to Weiss after Zeus signed off the final investigation report. Jacques (being a previously respected high-class citizen) was luckily spared from the same treatment as the other POWs. However, he was still fined and arrested for ties with a known terrorist organization by General Ironwood of Atlas and now sits in a military prison awaiting trial.
After the news that she was free from her father's scrutiny and forcefulness, she came out to Ruby before they left Altis and Ruby reciprocated, Zeus describing the scene as an over-excited dog suddenly tackling their master. The pure look of elation on both their faces was something Zeus will not soon forget.
Speaking of the Coalition's leader, Zeus was forgiven by Summer and Yang, the latter saying that the man had helped her family as well as her in a time of need and the former finally starting to trust him and thanking him for saving her life. Yang actually hugged the man as opposed to shaking his hand when offered.
Blake was happy to see everyone she cared about ok, in the end, thanking Zeus personally and offering him a traditional Faunus forged blade as a thank you, a Menagerie tradition. Zeus politely denied, told her that without her help in diagnosing the blight that plagued Summer they would have never found a cure.
As soon as they returned, Zeus was left to pick up the mess he started, holding a worldwide broadcasted press conference explaining the events of the war and the reasons it was declared, the entire thing including images of a broken and twisted Stratis, including pictures the civilians that weren't lucky enough to make it to the boats.
In the end, the backlash wasn't as severe as Zeus had predicted. At worst he could call it a slap on the wrist by them, mainly because (and nobody on remnant was willing to admit it) they feared what the man's army was capable of and didn't want to end up a target.
All in all, it was a decent ending to a war-torn and fucked up tale. Summer got to go home, Zeus and the coalition revealed themselves and were accepted by Remnant to a degree, and the Red Skrill was officially dead.
All the world had to worry about no were the Grimm and the White Fang, things that Zeus was already putting plans into play to fix. It would take a few years and a whole hell of a lot of resources, but Zeus believed he could finally bring this world to the everlasting peace that everyone desires.
Thank you all for reading my story, a test to see if I could write such a tale. It took grit and determination to finally get this finished and over with, but I thank you all for sticking through to the end and finishing it with me. I think this test was a success; however it was a rough and rocky road from the very beginning, still, and I like the end result. But do not worry; more like this story are in the mix, stories which will be more polished and better written than this. You just have to be patient. But anyway, thank you all again. This is Guardian Alpha, signing off.
The End.
