RWBY: Light Extinguished

Chapter 17

oxoxoxo

Vlad and Fantine bolted around a corner in the firebase, retracing their steps and going back the way they came, the Caroleans' numbers doing them little good in the narrow hallways leading to the center of the base. "Why are we going back this way?" Vlad demanded. The deserter was running on pure adrenaline at this point, the extensive use of his semblance against Caroline rapidly tiring him out, ultimately forcing Erik to call for a retreat as the two of them wouldn't last long against the sheer firepower the lioness and her men possessed in their state.

"One of my students managed to escape from in here tonight, we'll be using his escape route to get out." Fantine explained, sounding none the worse for wear, even with a round from Shining Roar in his shoulder. In their bid to escape, Erik had plunged the entire room into darkness, then used a length of rope to grab Vlad and make a run for the exit. The second they left, however, the illusion of darkness had broken, the Caroleans and their commander spotting them as they ran and giving chase, opening fire as soon as they had a line of sight. Vlad and Erik managed to avoid the bulk of the bullets, their aura absorbing most of the rounds that hit them, but the shot from Caroline's rifle shot right through the phantom's aura, wounding his shoulder.

"Think we can get to it before those guys catch up?" Vlad shot back.

"I certainly hope so." Fantine replied. "Now shut up and keep running." It wasn't long before the two reached the site of Francois' duel with Wun, the gaping hole in the ceiling being a dead giveaway. "There." Fantine called, pointing to the detonation site. Raising an arm, he fired a rope at the upper level, the noose on the end, catching on the edge of the hole.

Fantine grabbed the general next to him. "Watch the hands!" the madman protested.

Erik ignored him and pulled on the rope emerging from his sleeve, hauling the two of them through the hole in the ceiling and onto the next level, a hail of gunfire soaring beneath their feet as the Caroleans caught up. Fantine immediately cast his eyes desperately about the room as he searched for a way out. "There." He declared, pointing to a shattered window. "Out the window and onto the grounds. We escape this compound we live another day."

"If you can call staying here living." Vlad replied.

The sounds of angry soldiers attempting to climb onto the upper levels from the hole in the floor behind them gave the two of them pause. "It's either take our chances out there or see if these gentlemen and the lady in charge would be kind enough to let us live long enough to escape. Your call."

Vlad snarled. "Inferri it is. Let's go."

Fantine nodded, the two of them charging for the shattered window, emerging onto the exterior of the fort just in time to watch the engines of the stolen Serenity fade from view. "There they go." The phantom said as he watched his students become little more than a glimmer on the horizon.

"You think they'll make it?" Vlad asked.

Erik didn't even turn to the madman as he watched. "They have to be. Vale needs as many defenders as it can get right now."

A slap on the arm caught the phantom's attention as Vlad pointed down into the airfield. Several Inferri were still wandering the grounds, looking for anything alive to feast on. Vlad and Fantine both watched in morbid fascination as the ghouls descended on a lone mercenary they had cornered, the man's screams of terror turning to pained gurgles as the monsters chewed through his throat. "I was talking about these idiots. What were they thinking? I know these animals only do what their master tells them, but I thought that lion chick looked smarter than this."

"They're just as human as we are, mister Paler." Fantine said, speaking as though an unruly student. "Though you do have a point. Why would the White Fang come out here? It makes no sense."

"As much as I'd like to explain to you how mad these dogs are, they won't be delayed for too long." Vlad reminded him. "We need to get out, and quickly."

Fantine nodded. "The airfield is fenced in, but I'm sure we can knock it down or make a large enough hole to escape through. Let's go."

Vlad nodded and the two of them leaped off the edge of the Firebase, landing on the ground with a role, both of them immediately breaking into a run for the fence. "Where should we hide out?" the madman asked. "I've got a hideout on the other side of the island, we can go there."

"Bad idea, Mister Paler." The professor explained. "The other side of the island might be a good long term goal, but for now, we need somewhere closer and more easily defensible."

"You've got a lot of crap in that coat of yours, is one of those things a spare fortress?"

"No, but I did spot a large structure on the flight to the island." Fantine continued. "A temple or mausoleum of some kind. We can hold up there and thin their numbers down a bit before making for your hideout. With any luck, there will be a second exit from the place and we can escape through there."

The madman pondered this as the two of them reached the fence. "Not a bad idea, old timer." He said.

"You should trust me more." The phantom explained. "Now make yourself useful and cut open the fence."

"You don't get to talk to me like that!" Vlad spat back.

"We don't have time for this, cut open the fence and let's go!"

Vlad snarled and raised his halberd. With a mighty downward chop he cleaved through the chain fence. Activating his semblance to avoid further injury, the former general grabbed the cut fence and tore it open wide enough for the two of them to comfortably fit through. "Alright, I made us a door. Which way to the temple?"

Fantine wracked his memory of just what the island looked like from above. Using that memory, he called upon his semblance and brought up a bird's eye view of the island. "It's right here." He said, pointing to the ancient structure. "To the west of here. Let's move."

Vlad nodded and as Fantine deactivated his semblance, the two of them ran into the darkened trees, the barest hints of dawn's first light coming over the horizon blocked out by the thick foliage.

Caorline and her men ran onto the airfield just in time to see the last of their intruders run into the forest. "Hold, men." She commanded. "We'll regroup, gather our best trackers and then follow them. The last thing we need to do is run blind into hostile territory." The commander turned to face her men. "Head back inside and rest for a bit, we'll be heading back out in a few hours."

oxoxoxo

Thatch grimaced as he brought the Serenity up to cruising altitude. According to the navigational systems, they were on course to Vale. With a heavy sigh, he flicked on the auto pilot and sat back in his seat.

The very noticeable sound of the cockpit door opening drew Thatch's attention to his apparent visitor. "Didn't think I'd get too much company up here." The renegade remarked.

Alison smiled at him from the doorway. "Does that mean you want me to leave?" She asked.

Thatch stretched wearily and gestured to the co-pilot's seat. "Not on your life. Take a seat."

The artist smiled and took the second seat. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Thatch frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

Alison fidgeted in her seat. "You were hit by that guy's power pretty hard. It's similar to yours, right? I just wanted to make sure you weren't still, you know... scared or anything..." she said, looking down at her lap.

The swordsman put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm alright." He said. "I was a bit shaken, and I probably won't get too much sleep tonight, but since I have to pilot this thing, falling asleep is probably the last thing I want to do now. Are you okay though? You were hit by him too."

The artist frowned and kept her eyes on her lap, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I'm alright now. I was scared when he used his power, but I'll be alright."

Thatch gave her a look. "I know you're lying."

"What?"

"You have the same look in your eyes as when you didn't want to talk to me last semester." Thatch explained. "You know you can tell me what's bothering you, right?"

Alison pouted slightly but looked up to face her teammate nonetheless. "It was terrifying." She admitted. "Even after the worst of it wore off, I still second guessed everything I did on the off chance I'd end up hurting you or worse... It made me wonder just what happened to you and if it was as bad or even worse."

Thatch let out a heavy sigh. "I won't lie, it was pretty bad, but if it weren't for you it would've been a whole lot worse. Thank you, not just for down there, but for coming here to talk to me."

The artist's face turned red. "It was nothing..." She muttered, a small smile spreading across her face.

The renegade chuckled at the expression on her face and leaned back in his chair. "My mum is never going to let us live this down."

Alison let out a small giggle of her own. "Probably not. She did make fun of us a lot before we..." she trailed off slightly. She still wasn't quite sure what to call her relationship with her teammate. Teammate seemed to casual after they had kissed, and they were definitely more than friends by this point. She was tempted to ask Thatch what he thought, but with the renegade's focus needed on the ship he flew and the mission they were on, putting something like this on his mind was probably a bad idea.

"You know she likes you." Thatch said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Wha?" Alison stammered as she tried to catch up.

"My mum. She teases people she likes, it's just what she does. Spent most of my life with that woman, she raised me all on her own, I think I know her by this point."

The artist cast her mind back to the image of Mary Ebonwood, the ebon haired innkeeper from Vale. For the longest time since she met Thatch she wondered about where he had come from, Francois and Maria were obvious, Francois being form a wealthy Vale family and Maria being from Mistral with ties to Atlas. Her third and final teammate, however, she knew little about. When she was told she would be meeting his mother, she was surprised, to say the least, and when she found out that she was a smalltime innkeeper and not a swashbuckling sailor herself, she was a bit disappointed. Then she found out that the woman had raised Thatch entirely on her own and her respect for the innkeeper skyrocketed. It didn't matter that she wasn't a fighter, it didn't matter that she wasn't a huntress, what mattered was that she was a great woman in her own right, one who cared about her child and who worked to make his life better.

Thinking about the woman made Alison remember something: when they had visited Mary to go through the APC they had taken from the White Fang, the innkeeper had shared a story with her, the story of Thatch's father. She remembered Mary had said that she had never told her son, and Alison could only wonder why. Surely a young boy, even one raised by a single mother would want to know who his father was. Mary had mentioned that Thatch asked her once, but that he hadn't come back to ask again after she didn't give him an answer. Her curiosity piqued, Alison decided maybe she could bring up the conversation. "Thatch, mind if I ask a question? It's a bit... personal."

Thatch shrugged. "Ask away."

The artist hesitated before taking a deep breath and voicing her question, stumbling over her words as she did. "Did you ever know your father?"

The renegade frowned, leaned forward over the controls to the ship and let out a sigh. For a moment, Alison was worried she had offended him, but before she could stammer out an apology, Thatch leaned back and shrugged. "Nope."

Alison hesitated before speaking again. She didn't want to risk making things worse. "No?" She tried to confirm.

Thatch shrugged again. "Nope. I always wondered as a kid, but as I grew up, I just sort of stopped."

The artist looked at him with confusion. "Why?" She asked, genuinely curious now. "Don't you ever wonder who he is?"

Thatch shrugged again. "No. For all I know, my dad is the world's greatest huntsman or an explorer. He could be anyone, and knowing now would just spoil the mystery. All I know is his last name, the name I was given for him, and for me, that's enough."

Alison looked like she wanted to say something, but before she could speak, she realized something. He was right. It might have seemed childish for Thatch to think like this, but no true story could beat the image Thatch had of his father. It was the mystery, not the man that he loved, and who was she to say more about it. She decided in the end that Thatch deserved to have his father be the greatest man to ever exist, and to spoil his image of the man as just that would be wrong.

The artist and renegade shared a smile. Thatch reached over and put a hand on her knee as she held her legs up to her chest. "Get some rest." He said. "You've been through a lot today and I don't know how long before we have to get right back to fighting. Might as well use the time we have now."

Alison wanted to protest, but when she opened her mouth to speak, the first thing to come out was a yawn as she realized just how much her team had done that day. Thatch smirked at her and she pouted slightly. "Can I sleep here, in the cockpit?" she quietly asked.

Thatch took her hand and pressed it to his lips, making her giggle. "Go ahead." He said. "I'll wake you if anything happens."

Alison nodded and leaned back against the seat, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the headrest. Thatch smiled at her, taking his coat and laying it over her. It wasn't much as far as gestures of affection went, but she deserved to be kept warm.

oxoxoxo

Micca woke with a start, shooting to a sitting position only to realize two things: the first was that her head still hurt where she had been hit and the second was that her wrists were tied together. Instantly assuming the worst, her eyes shot open, the assassin looking over herself, fearing what she might see, but it seemed she was lucky. Aside from the bindings on her wrists, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Her hood had been pulled off and her mask removed, revealing her long, dirty blonde hair and green slitted eyes. However, aside from that, she was left completely clothed.

"You're awake." A girl's voice, said, catching the snake's attention. Micca looked up to see who had spoken. She was lying on a cot in what looked like a crewman's quarters on an airship. Sitting beside the cot were three people, the Axman, the armoured girl who broke onto the ship and a third man, the description of whom matched that of the boy Wun often duelled with. This plus the bindings on her wrists only led to one conclusion: she had been captured. The pact she had taken with her sister when they had begun their work as assassins for the White Fang had very clear guidelines on what she was to do in this situation. As much as it pained her to do so, this was how it had to be. She would never see her sister again, never work alongside Caroline, never see justice brought to the faunus. Her journey ended here.

"That's not going to work." The armoured girl said, breaking her out of her thoughts. Micca looked at her, she held a small capsule in between her two fingers. The snake's eyes widened. That was her way out.

Either not noticing or not caring about her panic, the armoured girl kept talking. "I'm sure you know just what's going to happen now." She said, handing the capsule off to the nobleman. "We're going to ask you a few questions. Don't try to control us, my colleague here can block your sister, so if you have any such powers, they won't work here. Now, we're going to ask you a few questions. If you don't want to answer them to me, we can call upon one of my teammates to play the "bad cop" role. Your choice."

Micca didn't speak. Then again, what was one to say in such a situation? She had been captured and she was about to be interrogated, and if this girl was the 'good cop' then she hated to think of who the bad one could be.

Taking her silence as a cue to speak, the armoured girl started her questions. "Let's start with something simple here." She began "What's your name?"

Micca looked up at the girl and glared weakly. "Taipan."

"What a nice stage name." The armoured girl remarked. "Why don't you give me your real one?"

"Why do you need it?"

"You have a point, it's not that important, I just thought I'd try being nice first."

"Knocking me out and kidnapping me is your idea of nice?" She asked.

"One has to get information somehow." The armoured girl answered. "You just happened to be here. Now, what were the White Fang planning here? Was it all just to drop those... monsters... in Vale?"

The snake girl scowled at that comment, the Axman's words ringing through her head once again. 'You won't win respect by doing this, you'll just get a slaughter!' Those words echoed inside her mind and refused to cease. Against her better judgement, she spoke. "The White Fang had nothing to do with that." She hissed, thinking back to the island, back to Blanch and his plans, sending several of her faunus brothers out to die.

"Interesting that you say that." The armoured girl said, again, either missing or ignoring her mental struggle. "My team certainly saw many of your brethren down there and my professor is likely sitting in your commander's prison right now. Maybe you want to rephrase that one."

"I mean it!" Micca snapped. "The commander and I weren't in charge at the base." She growled.

The girl turned to her blue garbed teammate. The nobleman gave her a nod before gesturing towards their prisoner. "Alright." The girl muttered. "Let's assume for now that I believe you. If it wasn't you and your pack leader in charge down there, then who was?"

The snake hissed somewhat at what the other girl called her commander. She hesitated before answering the question. "We were under the command of a man named Derek Blanch. He led the operations in the Abyss, this was his plan and those mercenaries flying the dustplanes are his men." She explained. "This entire plan was orchestrated by a human."

"Then why were you working for them?" The girl questioned.

"Because There are only so many ways to get respect from those who hate you!" Taipan spat.

"You and I both know you're only trying to convince yourself here."

"It's the truth." She insisted. "The only way the humans will listen to us is if we fight to be heard and respected."

"All you'll accomplish through this is a slaughter on both sides." The girl insisted. "This operation in particular will do just that. These monsters will kill innocents regardless of their race. Humans and faunus will die and when it's over the blame will fall squarely at the feet of the White Fang, and you know exactly what that will do."

Micca lay back in the cot. The worst thing was she wasn't wrong. Grimm didn't choose who they killed, they just destroyed everything in their way and then moved on to wherever else they could destroy. She also knew just what this attack would do. People wouldn't just resist the White Fang anymore, they'd actively fight against them, and her fellow faunus would get caught up in the middle of it all. There would be riots, assaults, maybe even lynches. IT would only grow worse from there, and this would only be the beginning. "Alright." She acquiesced weakly. "I'll talk. But only under a few conditions."

Her interrogator and her colleagues frowned. "I don't think you're in any position to be bargaining." She said. "But I'm willing to listen if you're willing to talk."

"I'll talk, but you're not getting any information on the White Fang. Blanch and his men, however, I'd be more than happy to chat about."

Maria cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward. "Alright, tell me about them."

oxoxoxo

Ben sat in the room that had been assigned to him when they took off, running a rag over his sword. The blade still had blood form the many Inferri he had cut apart, and a soldier like him was nothing without a clean weapon, everyone knew that.

However, while protocol dictated that he should keep a clean weapon, the giant's mind was not in his work. No, he was back in the Abyss, at the moment when he saw Vlad for the first time in months after thinking him dead. He may have been trapped on an undead infested hellhole, but somehow the man still lived, even after the loss of the army. This made Ben wonder, just how had he survived whatever it was that wiped out the army?

That brought another thought to his mind: Did Erwin survive as well?

If Vlad made it, it was not only possible but likely that his mentor still lived as well. One day, Ben would have to return to the Abyss and find out.

He was pulled out of his memories rather jarringly when a message came in over the ship's PA. "Break's over everyone." Thatch's voice called out. "We have visual on the enemy dustplanes."

That got Ben's attention instantly, the soldier leaping to his feet and sheathing his sword at his back. The next voice to come over the PA was Maria's her words beginning as soon as he left his quarters. "This is Maria. All personnel to the cockpit for briefing on the mission plan."

Ben fought the urge to yell 'yes ma'am' as he set off in the direction of the cockpit. When the giant entered the room, he was surprised to find that he was the last to arrive. Thatch was at the wheel with Alison standing behind him, a hand on his shoulder. Maria stood next to them, sword at her belt and shield along her back, arms crossed as she glared out the window at the enemy ahead of them, the Axman was standing behind her, practically vibrating with energy as he waited for Maria to give the command to act. However, none of this compared to his surprise at seeing Francois' company. "What the hell is she doing here?" Ben demanded.

The source of his outrage was obvious to anyone in the cockpit. Standing next to the nobleman, unbound yet unarmed was the White Fang assassin they had captured.

"Ben," Maria began "I know this looks bad, but let me explain."

"There had better be a damn good explanation for this." He growled.

"There is." The centurion assured him. "Taipan has agreed to help us fight off the attack on Vale."

"She'd fight her own people?" Ben said with disbelief.

"These aren't my people." Taipan spat. "The men aboard those ships are human. Mercenaries hired by the man running the operations at the Abyss."

"My team and I have been looking into White Fang operations in the northeast since the beginning of the semester." Maria explained. "We always thought it was them running the operations, but it seems we were mistaken. A name mentioned on a dead drop letter we found was one Derek Blanch, Taipan here says he was in charge at the Abyss and that this was his plan."

Ben turned to the serpent who nodded. "Blanch took control of our forces there and had them round up those... monsters..."

"And you know the story from there." The Axman interjected, practically bouncing on the soles of his feet. "Now, can we please get back to the mission?"

"But what if she tries to kill us or escape?" Ben demanded, incredulous. "How can we be sure she'll stay in line?"

"She's unarmed," Francois began "And should she try anything... untoward, I have certain talents that can, how you say, mess with her." The nobleman said, his eyes glowing gold for a moment.

Ben was about to talk back again, when a sense of calm fell over him. He took a breath and grudgingly turned back to his team leader. "Fine, she's with us. What's the plan for the enemy?"

"We're getting closer." Thatch warned from the pilot's seat.

Ben and Maria looked out the window at the enemy before them. From this distance they could clearly make out their numbers. Seven of them, all massive cargo ships, each one with a deadly payload that would wreak havoc on the city as soon as they were dropped. If even one of those ships managed to land in Vale it would be trouble, if all of them did, it was a catastrophe.

Maria grimaced at the thought. "Thatch, how long until we're within firing range?"

"Uh, fearless leader, this is a transport ship, we're flying unarmed." The renegade replied.

"I know." Maria said "And so are they. There's a door along the front of the ship below the cockpit and in front of the cargo hold. Ben, Alison, you two are with me. The rest of you, get ready for a fight. Francois, keep an eye on our guest, make sure she doesn't try anything funny. Thatch, get us in close."

"Yes ma'am!" Came the near instant reply.

Maria nodded. "Thatch, one last thing. I've got my earpiece in, I want to know when we get close enough to contact Vale."

"Got it." The renegade replied, his eyes never leaving the enemy. The centurion nodded once again and turned on her heel, marching out of the cockpit flanked by Alison and Ben. "Alright then." Thatch muttered to himself. "Let's see just what this classic is made of."

oxoxoxo

The second Wun entered her office, Caroline knew something was wrong. The girl looked not just angry, but absolutely furious, yet at the same seemed to be on the verge of tears, something difficult to tell when the girl had her hood and mask on. Caroline, however, knew her troops, and having the ability to repress her own emotions had given her a much greater clarity on the emotions of those around her. "Wun." The commander cautiously opened. "Are you okay?"

The younger snake sister shut the door behind her and pulled off her hood, revealing the cropped short brown hair beneath it. She then reached up and pulled off her mask, her soft features a sharp contrast to her sharp green slitted eyes, tears welling up in their corners. "No, no commander, I'm not." She said, clearly trying to keep her voice as level as she could.

Caroline, instantly reacting, pulled a chair from behind her desk and gestured for the snake girl to take a seat. As Wun sat in the chair, the lioness moved to lock the door before returning and sitting on her desk. "What happened?" The commander asked, simply yet gently.

Wun looked up to her commander, mouth open, but no noise emerging. She finally managed to croak out a weak "Commander, I..." But that was all before she was silent again.

Caroline, reached up and pulled off her hat, setting it down on her desk before doing the same with her mask. Her mane of golden blonde hair framed her equally golden catlike eyes, the concern in those eyes obvious as they stared into those of one of her closest friends and allies. "Wun. Talk to me." She said softly, a tone few had ever heard her speak in. "Please."

The younger snake sister sniffed as the tears suddenly started flowing. "Micca... she's gone." She sniffled. "They... they took her. They took my sister!" Wun sobbed, growing louder with every word. "She was all I had left and now she's gone!"

The lioness nearly fell off her desk. One of her most trusted lieutenants, her closest friends... one was now gone and the other stood before her in tears. She had dealt with loss before, men falling in battles, those lost on this very island... the loss of her father all those years ago... She had managed to overcome her loss, however, but it had taken precious time, time she knew they didn't have the luxury of that night. "Wun... I'm sorry..." She said, somewhat awkwardly.

"This isn't your fault..." Wun said, seeming to calm down. Caroline could tell, however, that beneath the snake's now quiet words, a fine simmering rage was building. "It was those humans. They took her from me." She hissed, furious and devastated.

"From us, Wun." Caroline corrected, placing a hand on her remaining lieutenant's shoulder. The two grieving faunus locked eyes, Wun's tear filled green orbs meeting her warm, golden ones. "You and Micca are my sisters too."

That finally broke the younger girl down as she jumped on her commander, wrapping her arms around her neck and sobbing heavily into her shoulder. "My sister is gone..." She moaned.

Caroline gently returned the embrace, holding the closest thing she had to a sister as close to her as she could. "I know, and I'm sorry Wun."

"I'll kill the ones who took her from me." She whispered. "Those humans will pay."

Caroline broke the embrace and held Wun at an arm's length. "Some of them are still on this island. I'm going to find them."

Wun gave one last sniffle before steeling herself. "I'm going with you." She declared.

The commander shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't let you do that."

"You can't stop me, Caroline." Wun argued. "They have to pay for what they did to her!" she spat.

"Wun, listen to yourself right now." Caroline insisted. "You're too emotional to go after a seasoned soldier and a professional huntsman. You just got out of a fight with another huntsman, if you rush into this fight in your condition, then you'll only end up getting hurt, or worse."

"You don't understand." Wun hissed.

"Believe me, I do." Caroline replied, looking down at her own lap, her golden hair hanging in her face. "When I first heard my father died, all I wanted was to track down and punish those responsible, the humans who left him for dead in the forest of Ognoc and the Grimm that murdered him. But if I had gone then, I would be dead now. I was too emotional and when I tried to fire the rifle I inherited from my father I nearly broke my shoulder."

"They took my sister from me." Wun spat.

"And I won't let them take my sister from me!" Caroline shot back. "I can't lose another friend, not two in one night. Get some rest. As soon as I bring those two in, we're leaving."

"Leaving?" Wun asked, the anger in her former words now replaced with confusion. "Why?"

The commander's face shifted to become one of absolute seriousness. "Let's just say our host hasn't been entirely honest with us. Read over the files you got me, you'll understand." Caroline stood up from her desk and replaced her mask and hat on her face and head again. "And pack your bags while you read, I'm ordering a White Fang evacuation at sunrise."

"We're not taking Blanch and his men?" Wun inquired.

Caroline turned to face her younger sister, all traces of sympathy and concern vanishing instantly. "Read over the data you got me and then ask yourself if you want to."

oxoxoxo

Thatch brought team EMAD's ship in closer to the enemy, the renegade thanking whatever deities he could think of that these things were transport ships, otherwise they'd likely be opening fire on him. The ships were now close enough that a running jump could plausibly propel someone into the next ship over. The swordsman activated his scroll and linked it to both Maria's team's earpieces and the ship's PA system. "We're in range."

"Perfect." Came Maria's reply over her scroll. "Open the door."

Thatch flicked a series of switches on the control panel of the ship. Outside, the cargo bay door pulled itself open, Maria, Ben and Alison all tied into the bay by a series of heavy cords holding them inside. "Alright team!" Maria shouted to be heard over the roaring winds. "Target the portside engine and fire at will!"

"Yes ma'am!" Came the response from Alison and Ben, all three of them raising their weapons. Once locked onto the portside engine of the nearest ship, all three opened fire, a swarm of bullets, both normal rounds from Maria's shield and the rapidly expanding rounds from Ben's sword slammed into the engine, along with ice dust from Alison's zhua. In little time, the engine began smoking, black smoke emerging from several holes, the engine groaning from both the damage it was taking and the ice forming on it. Before long, the engine burst into flame, the ship pitching to the left as the engine finally completely gave out, the descending plane beginning to fall towards them.

"Thatch, pull us back!" Maria ordered as the dustplane came closer.

"Hang on to something!" The renegade hollered. The dustplane drew closer, but just before it would have hit the Serenity, the ship's port and starboard engines swivelled around to face the front of the ship, both engines giving a burst of gas, the recoil from said burst throwing the ship's occupants to the ground at the sudden movement, Alison losing her grip and tumbling out of the cargo hold, screaming as she began to fell, only being saved by the cord around her waist.

"Alison!" Maria screamed as Thatch began to level the ship out again. The centurion sheathed her sword and darted forward, grabbing Alison's hand and pulling her back into the Serenity. As she pulled the artist aboard, the two of them looked down at the enemy dustplane as it went down. They could see several of the mercenaries jump ship as they neared the ground, the dustplane eventually slamming into the earth with a deafening screech as it ploughed its way into the ground, eventually exploding in a massive fireball. "Alison, you see any Inferri down there?" She asked.

The artist trained her eyes on the wreckage below before shaking her head. "Nothing's moving in there. Maybe there weren't too many on that one."

"Maybe." Maria mused. "Alright you two, reload and make ready. Thatch, get us in close to the next dustplane."

"Aye. I'm on it." Thatch replied.

As the renegade turned them towards the next enemy vessel, Alison and Ben both ejected their used clips and inserted a fresh one before nodding to Maria. They were ready for the next one. "Alright Thatch, have your hand on the brake this time, we don't need another near crash."

"I don't crash, fearless leader, I make ships dance. This dance is just a bit more exciting than usual."

"Whatever you say, Captain Edwards." Ben replied, the soldier already taking aim at the enemy with his LMG.

"Did Ben just tell a joke?" Thatch said, incredulous. "This trip just keeps getting stranger."

"Focus." Maria said. "I don't need too much more excitement in this dance."

"You may just get some." Francois interrupted. "Several mercenaries just jumped from their ship onto ours. It seems they intend to, how you say, crash our party."

"That figures." Maria groaned. "Thatch, keep at the wheel, all other hands, prepare to repel boarders."

"They're landing on the top hull." Thatch reported. "If they want to break in from up there, there's an entrance right above the bridge. Noble Boy, take the snake and the Axman and get those buggers off my new boat."

Francois, Taipan and the Axman walked onto the bridge of the ship when the nobleman replied. "We're already here, mon ami." He reported. "And since when is this 'your' ship?"

"Since I got behind the wheel. Now get ready, they'll be less than happy to see you lot."

Francois drew his rifle before converting it to its sword form, watching as Taipan and the Axman both unholstered their axes and nodded at him. The second he returned their nod, the hatch on the roof opened, five mercenaries jumping in one after another, two with cutlasses, two with rifles and the fifth with an axe.

Francois immediately rushed one of the riflemen, grabbing his rifle in his free hand, pushing it aside and hooking the mercenary in the jaw with the cup hilt of his rapier. The man stumbled back in pain as another mercenary took aim at the nobleman with his rifle. Francois, catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, dropped into a roll out of the way, just in time to dodge the shot.

The mercenary adjusted his aim, but before he could fire, the Axman tapped him on the shoulder. Then the merc turned, the vigilante smashed his axe into the man's face, breaking his nose and making him howl in pain.

Another merc swung his cutlass at the Axman, but the madman blocked it with the shaft of his axe before kicking the man in his manhood, doubling him over in pain. The vigilante then slammed his axe into the man's chin from below, bringing him back to a standing position as he lost a few teeth from the blow. The cocking of a rifle from behind him got the Axman's attention, the vigilante grabbing his victim and immediately using him as a human shield as the other merc opened fire, the hostage's aura absorbing the shots before the Axman hurled him at his gun toting comrade, their heads colliding and knocking them both out cold.

Meanwhile, Taipan was surrounded by two mercs, one with a cutlass and the other with the axe, though both seemed hesitant to move on her. During her time with the White Fang under Caroline she must have intimidated them. She turned to one of the men. "Hold still." She commanded.

The man made a noise of confustion, but didn't move, giving Taipan the chance to slam the blunt side of her axe into his skull. The man crumpled to the floor as the other one charged her, his own axe raised. She blocked his overhead chop and kicked him in the chest. The man let out a grunt, doubling over in pain. Micca struck again, slamming the shaft of her axe into his chin. The man stumbled back before Taipan struck one more time, slamming the flat of her axe into his head, sending the man crumpling to the floor.

Francois shifted his sword to its carbine form and struck the last man in the crown of his skull with the butt of his rifle, sending the man to the floor in a heap. "The uninvited guests are dealt with." Francois said into his earpiece.

Thatch smirked from the cockpit as his teammates began to open fire from the open cargo bay door. That was when he noticed more men exiting the closest ship. And there were a lot of them. "Maria," He said. "I'm closing the hatch." Before the centurion could demand an answer, Thatch had already thrown the switches to close the hatch. The second he had confirmation it was closed he set his scroll to broadcast to the entire ship. "Everyone, hold onto something!" he yelled.

With that, the renegade threw the steering wheel to the side, the port and starboard engines shifting, one facing the ground and the other the sky, the ship savagely rolling as the mercenaries tried to board, tossing the boarding party about and sending them falling to the ground below. Thatch smirked from the cockpit as he levelled the ship out. "Everyone alright?"

"You left my stomach behind." Francois groaned.

"That was awesome!" The Axman screamed.

"Don't EVER do that again." Maria ordered.

The renegade just chuckled. "I'll bring us close to the ship again." he said, flying the Serenity in closer to the already damaged dustplane. "Opening the doors now."

The second the doors were open wide enough, Maria gave the order Ben and Alison were waiting for: "Open fire!"

They didn't need to be told twice, a stream of bullets and dust tore right through the plane's portside engine, Thatch pulling the Serenity back as the dustplane spiralled out of the sky, managing to much more easily avoid the falling ship, the plane sailing to the earth below, crew members jumping ship like madmen before the craft slammed into the ground, the ensuing explosion blowing a crater in the earth.

"Two down, five to go." Maria reported, struggling to be heard over the roar of the engines and the whipping wind. "Thatch, get us in close to the next one."

"Fearless leader, we're close enough to contact Vale." Thatch informed her as he steered the ship towards their next target.

Maria's eyes widened. "We're that close already?"

"These ships are faster than they look." Thatch replied. "Whatever plan you have, you'd better get it done quickly."

"I'm on it." The centurion said with a nod. "Bring the ship in closer to the next dustplane, Alison, Ben, when we're in range open fire. I'll be back." With that, Maria stormed out of the cargo hold and into the ship's interior.

oxoxoxo

Julia Gaia gripped the arms of her chair aboard the bridge of her dreadnaught, The Rubicon. The city below was in chaos, Grimm running amok, emerging from a hole blasted into the city from below the earth. People were in a panic, hunters and military personnel alike were scrambling to contain the creatures, and here she was, stuck on her ship while Ironwood led the battle below. She was told that she was to watch for the many Nevermores that had appeared around the city, but she had a sneaking suspicion he thought she was unready for war. That infuriated her. Here she was, one of the star pupils of the Atlesian Military Academy, rivalled only by Winter Schnee herself, with an entire dreadnaught full of her own personal battalion of new model Atlesian Knights of her own design, two teams of hunters her forces were training as part of their mission, and one of Atlas' new secret weapons, and she was stuck on patrol duty. The general grit her teeth and sighed. "Any sign of Nevermores?"

"Not yet, ma'am." One of her subordinates reported. "Skies seem fairly clear and... hold on, ma'am, we've got five large dustplanes on radar approaching the city."

"Hail those ships." Julia commanded. "This is a potentially hostile airspace, it's too dangerous for them."

"Yes ma'am." The communications officer replied. "General, they're not responding."

"Hail them again." The general ordered. Something wasn't right here, at least one of those ships should have replied by this point.

"Still nothing." The officer responded. "Wait, ma'am, we're being hailed by another craft, looks to be a small transporter, Serenity model."

"On screen." Julia commanded.

A static filled screen descended from the ceiling of the bridge of The Rubicon. The second the screen descended, the static cleared and an all too familiar face appeared on it. "Dreadnaught Rubicon, this is Maria Gaia of Beacon Academy and – Julia? This is your ship."

"Good to see you too, little sister." Julia said, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "I really hope this isn't a social call, I have more important things to worry about right now."

"I don't know what you're busy with, but I'll make this quick." Maria said. "The ships flying towards Vale are actively hostile, you have to bring them down before they reach the city."

"What?" Julia demanded. "What do you mean, hostile?"

"Each one of those crafts is loaded with monsters from the Abyss." Maria explained.

Julia's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" That knowledge was classified, how could her sister possibly know information reserved for the higher ups of Atlas?

"I have no time to explain, just know that my professor took my team on a mission there and we found a plot to attack the city." Maria said. "There's no time to explain, but you can't let those ships land, Vale is in grave danger if they do."

Julia grit her teeth in frustration. If Maria was wrong about those ships, her career as a general, as a soldier, was over. She'd be court marshalled if she was lucky or arrested if she wasn't. Then again, she had known Maria since the day her little sister was born and while the two of them clashed often, she had never known her sister to be a liar. Maria looked like she was about to speak again, but a loud crash on her end of the call as Julia's view on the screen became that of the ceiling of the ship her sister flew on signalled that she had dropped her scroll. "Maria? What's going on over there?" Julia demanded.

She watched as Maria picked up her scroll, the view becoming one of her face again. "My ship is under attack by Nevermores, I need to go!"

"Maria, wait!" Julia yelled. It was too late as Maria closed the call. Julia was about to order the call to be reconnected, but was interrupted.

"General Gaia," An officer piped up. "The dustplanes are getting closer, four of them are coming in for a landing."

The general growled. "Ready forward batteries and target those ships."

"General?"

"If what my sister is saying is true then we're making a huge mistake letting those ships land."

"General Gaia, the last ship isn't stopping."

"What?"

"The fifth dustplane is still flying on course, it's heading for the city."

Jullia narrowed her eyes out the window of the bridge at the enemy ship. "Run a full scan of that ship."

"Yes ma'am." An officer replied. "Scans are showing that ship is nearly empty, there's one heat signature aboard."

The general's eyes widened. "Open fire! Bring that ship down now!"

All canons on The Rubicon turned to target the approaching ship, the combined strength of the canons was staggering as all of them let loose a barrage of blasts. High powered shells and huge dust blasts slammed into the dustplane, but still it didn't stop.

Julia grit her teeth. "Fire the main battery!" Julia ordered.

At Julia's command, a huge blast of fire dust was launched from The Rubicon, the blast hit exploded on contact with the dustplane, instantly burning off the front of the ship, but it still didn't stop.

Eyes wide in fear, Julia slammed a fist down on the PA system button on her chair. "All hands brace for impact!"

A second later, The Rubicon shook and pitched as the remains of the dustplane slammed into it. Despite bracing for impact, Julia was thrown from her chair by the impact, several officers also being thrown to the floor. The general clawed her way back to her feet, using the arm of her chair as support. "Damage report!" She demanded.

"Ma'am, armour along the bow has buckled, weapons have been disabled, we're losing power from a damaged fuel line. We're losing altitude and quickly."

Julia growled in frustration. "Set us down in the city, get me a report on our troop strength and assemble those hunter teams onboard. I'll be leading an assault on the enemy myself."

"Ma'am, should we ready the Vanguard project?"

"Have it on standby for now, if I need it, I'll call for it." Julia ordered. "For now, worry about landing this ship!"

oxoxoxo

The Serenity ducked and rolled as it attempted to shake the Nevermore hunting it. Thatch grit his teeth as he pulled back on the wheel, the ship pulling up, the colossal raven soaring beneath the ship. It was too early to celebrate, however, as the bird came back around for another attack. Seeing the pattern it was flying in, Thatch had a pretty good idea what it was planning. "Brace yourselves, it's going to attack again!" He roared.

The call would have been all for naught as the Nevermore made its move. The raven pulled up from a frontal charge, soaring above the ship. Thatch tried to pull the ship out from its path, but a hail of feathers like spears rained down on the ship, one lodging itself in the starboard engine.

Thatch let out a noise of anger as the engine coughed and gave out, the swordsman diverting power form the portside engine to the stern as he tried to keep them in the air. It was a losing battle as the Serenity began to lose altitude. "This is your pilot speaking, we're experiencing some technical difficulties so if you could all fasten your seatbelts, that would be much appreciated." The renegade said into the ship's PA as he desperately pulled up on the wheel.

It seemed like only a second later that Maria burst into the cockpit. "What happened?" She demanded.

"Your seatbelt isn't fastened." Thatch remarked, eyes fixed on the controls.

The centurion stormed into the cockpit and took her seat in the co-pilot's chair, pulling her belt on. "What happened?" she asked again.

"The Nevermore hit us in the starboard engine, it's too damaged to keep running and if I keep the other engine running then we start rolling, the last engine in the back is giving me just enough power to choose where this thing crashes. Too bad, always wanted a classic like this."

"How are you so calm?!" She screamed.

"I am desperately trying not to freak out, and if I hold this wheel any tighter, it's going to be crushed."

The ship was just a step above a dive, rapidly losing altitude, but still managing to propel itself. As the craft neared a building on the outskirts of Vale, Thatch gave one last call over the ship's PA: "All hands, brace for impact!"

The second Thatch spoke, the Serenity ploughed through the front of the building, the brick structure doing nothing to stop the juggernaut like ship as it blew through the building. Thatch and Maria could see nothing as the building was smashed to pieces around them, both of them screwing their eyes shut as they waited for the ship or their lives to come to a stop.

In the end, it was the ship that stopped first, the craft slamming through one more wall before grinding to a halt. Maria carefully opened one eye, and upon seeing she was still alive the other soon followed, the centurion undoing her seatbelt and making a jump for the PA. "All hands, report now!"

"This is Francois, La Serpente and the Axman are alive and unharmed, as am I."

"Ben here, Alison was tossed about, but it looks like she'll live. Where are we?"

"Outskirts of Vale." Maria reported. "As for the building we're in," She said, casting her eyes about for any sign of what this building was. The toppled shelves, the power tools across the floors and the half destroyed sign that still hung at the back of the store gave the place's identity away fairly quickly. "Spruce's Hardware Store." Maria read. "Now's not the time for shopping though. All hands meet outside the ship. This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better."