"I GOT IT!"

Emm hollered out at N-Sight, who held his beam sword in a defensive stance. She front flipped over him, sinking her longsword into the neck of the Grex they were facing off against. She planted her feet against its skull and slashed it open with a swing to the left. She whipped her sword around and slashed the Grex's head clean off with a strike from the right. The head flew forward and landed at N-Sight's feet. The dark-clad fighter stepped over it in disgust.

"Not that I mind killing these things, but do you have to throw the heads at me EVERY time?"

Emm leaped off of the Grex corpse. "Sorry! Force of habit!"

N-Sight belted his beam sword and crossed his arms. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't do this anymore. You of all people know why it doesn't sit well with me."

Emm chuckled. "No promises, but I'll try."

Elma cleared her throat. "Now that you two are finished, shall we get moving? Team RWBY ran ahead."

Emm shouldered her sword. "Aw, come on, Elma. I was just having a little fun."

The three of them soon caught up with Team RWBY and Lin, who had come upon the wreckage of the Skell from the missing team. Lin was scanning it for damage readings when they walked up. Ruby and Yang were chatting off to one side. Weiss was examining her psycho launchers for power levels and damage. Blake was keeping watch, meaning she was the first to see the three newcomers arrive.

"Took you long enough," the ninja said, arms crossed and slight annoyance in her eyes. "Riding Hood and Goldilocks aren't my ideal conversation and Lin refused to disclose anything until we were all gathered."

N-Sight shook his head. 'Figured as much,' he thought. 'I would've expected Lin to hold up so she doesn't explain something twice and it's not surprising that Blake would not enjoy the idle chatter.'

Elma tapped Lin on the shoulder and stood up with her diagnosis. "Well," Lin began. "This is an interesting sight to see a Skell in. There's significant damage on the limbs and the battery was drained, but what makes this stand out is that the damaged areas are giving off five different signatures of importance for this autopsy."

N-Sight took one look at the right leg of the robot. "I see traces of thermal damage on this mark here and there's residual from ether contact next to this one."

Lin nodded. "I also picked up a few traces of a plasma burst and there's significant electrical damage to the servos and joints. This would imply a lightning strike, but our scanners haven't picked up such storms nor would it do this much damage. Not to mention the physical damage was not the typical scratch or bite we usually see."

N-Sight dragged his index finger along one mark. "There can only be one explanation for this."

Elma and Emm both bore similarly confused looks on their faces. "What does this mean?" Ruby said, just as confused as any.

Weiss shook her head. "It just means that this wasn't just a simple encounter with any random indigen. The significant damage difference…"

N-Sight stepped back from the robot. "Paired with the plasma based weapon damage…"

They both turned in unison to face the rest of the group. "...Means that the team was attacked by a civilization with higher access to advanced technology!"

Elma frowned. "I wondered why the two of you had that look in your eyes."

Emm shook her head. "It still doesn't explain what really happened. They could have been set upon by other humans who have ulterior motives."

Lin shook hers in response. "We would have been contacted sooner about the attack and would have names of who it was."

Weiss held her hand out. "Meaning that it must have been another species that took out the team."

N-Sight shifted his glasses. "Well, it's not good news, but it's still something to think about. Regardless, we need to find them if they're nearby."

Yang then noticed that the team in question was not anywhere to be seen. Beeping sounded from Lin's comlink. "I've picked up life signs of all four team members as well as some non-humans. They're coming from around the corner."

As she announced this, four humanoid aliens stepped out from behind them. N-Sight was the first to spot them as they emerged. The rest of the group heard them step closer and they instinctively backed towards the Skell, eyes on the newcomers. They were barely taller than Blake, but they clearly weren't as tall as N-Sight's 6'2" towering height. Their skins were a dark gray hue, similar to a crocodile's. Each wore masks to hide their mouths and to help with breathing, perhaps. They had quite a bit of bulk to them, but their armor made them seem even larger.

Their leader held out his rifle aimed at Ruby. "This is your only warning, humans. Run away while you still can, or we will terminate you all."

No one moved for a moment. N-Sight's mind had kicked into gear and was whirling at the speed of light, analyzing their motions, weapons, bulk, armor, even their eyes and facial expressions. He suddenly pulled out his beam sword and ignited it.

"Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, make for the team. Lin, Elma, Emm, help me eliminate them so we can get this mission over with quickly."

Elma stopped him. "Wait, maybe we can use a diplomatic approach to solve this conflict."

N-Sight shook his head. "They've clearly pointed out their intentions: eliminate us if we stay here. If we're going to get Nelson's team back, we'll need to talk to their leader."

Elma shrugged. "I thought that you of all people would prefer diplomacy over violence."

N-Sight nodded. "I do, but these don't look like they'll talk peacefully. We'll have to take these down quickly to advance."

Emm drew her katana and held it in front of her. "That's easier said than done."

N-Sight motioned for Team RWBY to go. "No, it's not. I've already figured their stats out. Go now."

Team RWBY ran for it. Now that the delicate minds, aside from Lin were out of sight, N-Sight nodded at Emm. "Let 'em have it."

Emm smiled a devilish glare. "With pleasure."

Emm dashed forward past the leader. She stopped in the center of the group and swung her sword around her body. It slashed clean through the stomachs of each one leaving the leader standing. N-Sight slashed upwards through the rifle and cut it apart. The leader lifted its arms above its head.

Emm held her katana at its throat. "Tell us why you have it out for the human race!"

The leader scoffed. "We, the Prone, only live to serve the supreme race of our army, the Ganglion. As it turns out, you humans and your allies must all be exterminated to ensure our mutual survival."

Emm looked to N-Sight, who had another question to ask. "Why all humans and its allies? What threat do we pose as your enemies?"

The Prone leader just shrugged. "How should I know? I'm only a Squad Leader!"

N-Sight looked up at Emm with a look that said: Yeah, we're done here, but don't do what I think you are going to do. Sure enough, she ignored his expression and slashed her blade through the Prone's throat and decapitated it.

N-Sight closed his eyes and groaned, a cringing expression plastered on his face. "You KNOW that disgusts me! Why do you keep doing that?"

Emm laughed. "I'm just having a little fun!"

Elma cleared her throat before motioning the two of them to make haste.

Team RWBY was standing on the other side of the bridge, having eliminated the Prone and their pets between them and the Skell wreckage. Weiss had her beam sword out, blade extended at the neck of another Prone.

"Who are you and why do you have it out for us?" She held her blade close while it gave a reply.

"We are the Prone, a race made to serve the Ganglion. They want you all exterminated because of some prophecy or something, I don't give a damn!" He wailed at the end when Weiss tightened her hand on his shoulder.

Yang cocked her pistol. "Anymore that you'd like to spill before your corpse is all that's left?"

The Prone sounded scared. "That's all I know, I swear! They don't give me all of the answers I ask for! I'm just a grunt!"

Blake held Yang's hand and forced her to lower the gun. "Anything about the humans you took as hostages?" She voiced her emphasis on 'humans' to get her point across.

The Prone nodded. "You'll have to move quickly: they're in the tower, about to be executed from what I could gather."

Weiss loosed her hand a little. "How long do you usually keep prisoners alive?"

"Just long enough to make them suffer. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just thought I'd give you a respite similar to your friends."

The Prone was terrified when he realized her meaning. "WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! I CAN HELP-"

He was cut off by two shots through the chest and head from Yang. His body slumped down and Weiss retracted her beam sword's blade. Weiss slapped her forehead with her palm, mortified at Yang's harsh actions.

"I could have gotten information from him!" Weiss complained.

"He wasn't to be trusted!" Yang gave her defense.

Blake spoke up. "Sure, but that's what I'm here for: eliminate threats to our team."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Coming from the ex-White Fang member."

Blake glared at her with a look that could cut through the planet. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I just find it ironic that you're the one who is claiming to be the 'threat eliminator' on our team."

"You three of all people know why I left the White Fang. I'd rather not go into that now."

Just then, Ruby fired off her rifle four times. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! In response to the discharge, four Prone guarding a pen and two sentry bots fell from the ricocheting bullets. Yang smirked at the marksmanship, Blake crossed her arms in surprise, and Weiss dropped her beam sword in shock. This is the reaction Ruby was met with when she faced her teammates.

"What!? You guys were fighting and I was thinking about how to clear the area ahead! Try to focus while we're out here! We can discuss our pasts after the mission."

Yang shook her head and took off towards a large crate that provided cover for her. The three remaining at the bridge turned to see that Team Elma had caught up with them. N-Sight took a look at the fallen Prone at Weiss's feet and pointed at it with his index and middle fingers.

"SEE? Head intact and no goop spilling from the body! Try doing this every once in awhile!"

Emm scoffed. "It's still fun my way."

Elma turned to Ruby. "Any information from him?"

Ruby nodded. "Sure! These, 'Prone' as he called them, are serving some race known as the 'Ganglion' who want our race destroyed. Apparently due to something some prophecy said. Aside from that, the team in question was about to be executed a short time ago."

Elma smiled. "You got more than we did. Our guys just gave a portion of what you told us."

"So, what now?" Weiss tilted her head slightly, wondering what was expected.

"What else?" Lin crossed her arms. "Follow Yang's lead and take back our missing team."

Yang fired off her pistols again, sending two robots into a frenzy and decapitating a third. Ruby rushed over and slashed her scythe to cut through the first's abdomen. Blake took one shot at the remaining robot and nailed a clean headshot, exploding it in a shower of sparks.

N-Sight shook his head. "Much as I'd hate to say it, I really think I've got some extra work to do."

Emm smirked at his statement. "What are you planning?"

N-Sight tried to hide his smile, but failed miserably. "You'll have to wait and see."

They took off, heading up the path to the tower as fast as their legs could carry them.

Drax was cackling maniacally. His Prone brethren had single-handedly eliminated four humans and destroyed their mech with ease. His team was unstoppable by any human force that dared to challenge him. He feared nothing.

Little did he notice the eight Blades walking in the tower's entrance. He was too thrilled to care what his men were doing. His lackeys brought him out of his jovial cruelty.

"What is it?"

"Boss, you may want to see this."

He turned to face his lackey. "This had better be good."

The Prone cadet just held his hand out to his right, pointing towards the door. Drax turned curiously to face the humans who had arrived on the scene.

"Er, that would be bad," he said, rolling his heavy words off of his breath.

Elma noticed the corpses of the team littering the ground behind the Prone leader. "What wasteful hatred. What do you hold against us that warrants such destructive actions?"

"Your very existence is such a threat to our leaders that we have no choice but to crush you all."

Emm drew her katana. "Foul criminals such as these can't be negotiated with on such terms as these. It's time to take them on!"

Ruby drew her sword, Yang cocked back Ember Celica, Blake twirled her twin blades, Weiss and N-Sight activated their beam swords, Elma drew her pistols, and Lin unfolded her shield. Each troop took a combative stance ready to strike.

Drax whistled and a group of prone grunts ran down the stairs of the tower. Drax headed for the stairs and proceeded up to the next floor before turning and saying his farewell:

"Ladies and gentleman, this will be the day you shall always remember as the time you almost fought Drax, the Black Jacket! Let 'em have it, boys!"

He took off up the stairs, faster than most could keep up with. The remaining Prone opened fire on the human troops.

Ruby was the first to retaliate. She dashed forward and slashed through one's chest. Yang ran in and punched through the faces of two off to the side, knocking them back and dazing them for a moment. Elma slid under three of them and shot through a fourth, sending his corpse to the ground. Emm began a slashing frenzy against one who tried attacking with a knife. Blake and Weiss began slashing through bullets and guns as the came within range. N-Sight calmly held his beam sword in a defensive stance, only shifting it slightly to cut bullets as they came within range.

Needless to say, the two teams made quick work of the Prone forces. Elma motioned for Emm, N-Sight, and Lin to follow her outside. Ruby motioned for her team to head up the stairs. As the teams split, there was the sound of a flight engine revving up for takeoff. Team RWBY ran up the stairs quickly and ascended to see the aircraft of Drax close up and take off into the evening sky.

Ruby switched her weapons to her sniper rifle. Aiming down the sights allowed her to see the figure piloting the aircraft. It was none other than a young human. It was weird that a human was working with Drax, but then Ruby saw his face. Ruby lowered her scope and widened her eyes.

Yang placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "What was that?"

Ruby shook her head. "I saw the pilot. It's Mercury Black."

Elma and N-Sight turned off to one side and looked down at the trash container in front of them. "You saw that too, right N-Sight?" Elma inquired.

"Yeah, and I bet that's no simple indigen."

Emm scoffed. "I'll bet you four grand it's just another dumb rodent inhabitant."

N-Sight smirked. "I'll raise it to five grand and bet it's an intelligent species that understands English."

"Deal!"

N-Sight moved to one side of the bin and pushed up on the lid. The bin tipped forward onto its front and the lid popped open. Out of the container rolled a few oversized potatoes, one of which had on a backpack and green vest. The dressed one got up and grabbed a pair of swirled glasses off of the ground and placed them on his eyes.

"Tatsu lives again!" The sudden outburst startled Emm.

"Fascinating! Another form of life with a higher sense of intelligence. This is exactly what I expected." N-Sight pondered aloud.

Lin was interested, but for a different reason. "I wonder how it tastes."

The newcomer outstretched its limbs, which looked like chicken wings. "Tatsu hear that! Tatsu say he taste bad!"

Lin jumped back in shock. "Ah! I didn't mean to say that!"

Elma addressed the elephant in the room: "So, what happened to you?"

The small potato responded, "Prone capture Tatsu! Stuff him in can for meal later! They eat nopon like Tatsu for fun!"

Lin smirked. "I wonder why. Maybe it's because you smell so good."

N-Sight had to hand it to her, Tatsu did smell great, like a backyard barbecue. Regardless, it looks like he'd won the bet.

Tatsu ignored the next poke at him from Lin and focused on the others. "So, who might Tatsu's new friends be?"

Elma stepped up. "I'm Elma. I'm the team leader here for the four of us. This here is Emm, her friend N-Sight, and our cook and mechanic, Lin."

Tatsu straightened up and held out two more tiny arms. "Tatsu pleased to meet and happy for rescue! Glad to help Elma anytime!"

Elma crossed her arms. "Perhaps we could use your help. Tatsu, are you familiar with the landscape of Mira?"

Tatsu jumped and swayed. "Of course! Tatsu been here since was littlepon! Tatsu also have something for friends."

Tatsu reached into his pack and pulled out a glowing white orb. "Friends use this to find way in world. Nav Ball show path to next place friend want to go!"

N-Sight took one look at the Nav Ball and smiled. "Wonderful! Tatsu, do you think you might come with us and operate that if we need it?"

Tatsu jumped in place. "Tatsu here to help! If friend need, Tatsu offer service."

Elma nodded. "Thanks, Tatsu. This will help us in the long run."

Just then, Team RWBY exited the tower, all with concerned expressions on their faces. Emm was the first to address them.

"Let me guess, he got away?"

Weiss nodded. "That's right, but there was something else bugging us. Ruby thinks she saw an enemy of ours in the cockpit of the vehicle. His name is Mercury Black, and he's the son of an assassin. He caused us a lot of trouble during the Fall of Beacon."

N-Sight turned to face them. "Weird, I thought you four were the only ones from Remnant on our ship."

Blake crossed her arms. "That's what we thought too. It might not be him she saw, but it might be him: we don't know at this point."

N-Sight pulled out his comlink. "Regardless, Nagi is expecting our return shortly. We'll need to head back now."

The two teams then began a brisk walk back to the habitat unit and NLA. However, N-Sight held Emm back for a moment.

"Can we both agree that this will probably evolve into a full blown war?" he asked her.

She nodded. "I'm pretty sure this will be painful to fight and to recover from."

"I concur. Oh, you owe me 5,000 credits!"

N-Sight: Well, are you going to pay me?

Emm: Fine. (hands him a chip card) Any chance that I could get a sneak preview of next chapter?

N-Sight: (receives the transfer) Another five grand and we'll talk.

Emm: Not happening.

N-Sight: (returns the chip card) Then you'll just have to wait until February 26th.

Emm: You need to bulk up a little.

N-Sight: I was going to tell you the same thing, Emma Wyvern Pyrofelle.

Emm: Oh no you didn't!

N-Sight: Oh yes I did.

Emm: When are we getting-

N-Sight: Ask again and you'll never get it.

Emm: (Pause) I'm asking out of concern for what I saw you writing.

N-Sight: The DOOM/RWBY crossover's final chapter of act 3?

Emm: Precisely.

N-Sight: Well, I didn't want to announce this yet, but I'll be updating that story within the next month or so.

Emm: Any idea when?

N-Sight: I'll know in two weeks.

Emm: I'll wait.