Somewhere in Anima
The forest was peaceful and quiet, undisturbed nature at its finest. Tree leaves were ruffled in the light breeze, and birds sang.
This was all but ignored by the two soldiers running past. They bore the Hammond insignia, one was holding Plasma BMG while the other was holding a R-201 Carbine. They both were wearing camouflaged grunt armor, and the standard ocular helmet that covered their entire head.
"The target is getting away. We need to move it!" The one with the sniper shouted to his partner.
"I can see that!" The other shouted back. He raised his rifle, firing some shots at the 'target'.
Their target was ahead of them. The two had been tracking it for weeks, keeping others away from her. Now, they had orders to incapacitate and bring the target in.
The war on Remnant was becoming problematic for Hammond, the only thing keeping the HMF back was the fact that the HEF had been able to supply massive amounts of energy to the Hammond Empire easily. Dust deposits in the Grimmlands had started to be pillaged, but there had been a spike in Grimm activity near the foundry bases. So with this in mind, General March decided to move forward with his plans.
"Base Actual, come in Base Actual." The rifleman called in his comm device.
"Go ahead." The device responded.
"Our target is in status Rabbit, we need assistance."
"Copy that, deploying response unit. Coordinates locked on, standby."
The rifleman turned to his partner. We have reinforcements coming, we got her."
"So this running was for nothing?" The sniper asked.
"Not really, we got exercise."
"Dumbass."
The two continued to run after the target, breaking through the brush and forest, coming out to an open field.
"Clear eyes on target!" The rifleman shouted.
The target was a cloaked figure holding an oak staff with a green leaf hanging off of it. The figure turned around, facing the two. The target's face was fair, with dark green eyes and a pale face. She raised her hand, with wind gathering around her. The two soldiers stopped running after her.
"Shit, we're about to become toast." The sniper said, raising his BMG. "Might as well go out with an empty clip."
"Agreed." His partner said, reloading his rifle.
The target raised her other hand, which she had formed it in a way a child would form a gun with his fingers.
"Let's tango!" The sniper shouted, firing off a round.
The target did the same thing. The two projectiles hit each other, causing a smoke screen to form. The sniper and rifleman took advantage of this, squeezing their triggers. The bullets through the smoke, and any that were near the target she blocked with her staff.
"She's got Aura in that thing!" The sniper shouted, his ocular helmet picking up the signature of Aura.
"I'm more worried about her bullshit powers!" The other shouted.
A wind round impacted between the two, throwing them in the air. They landed on their backs, their weapons landing somewhere else.
"Shit." The sniper mumbled, unholstering his pistol and aiming it towards the smoke. "This sucks."
The target walked through the clearing smoke, her hand was holding a ball of heated wind. She raised her hand to finish the two off, while the sniper raised his pistol. Before either could make another move, the target was yanked back.
The smoke cleared, and the sniper saw a Jaeger commander holding the target in its Aura inhibiting fists.
"Sniper pair Alfa-Gamma-One-Seven, good work. You shall be rewarded for your actions today." The robot said.
"Thanks…" The rifleman groaned, trying to get up. "All in a day's work."
The Jaeger Commander nodded, and walked off with the target. "General March, 16 Actual reporting in. The target is in hand, Operation Summer Break is a success." The robot reported into its comm device.
"Good work, I will have to get Sniper pair AG-17 compensation for their gracious efforts." The device responded. "Bring the target back to the Exiled God. Her powers must be evaluated."
"Copy that." 16 Actual responded. The robot opened up another secure channel. "17 Actual, come in."
"Yeah? What is it?"
"Summer Break target has been captured. How's everything on your end?"
"I have had eyes on 'End of September' target. There's been no word from 15 Actual about his hunt for 'Holiday Break'. Should we be worried?"
"No, 15 Actual never did anything on time. The target is probably being a handful, or under strict supervision. Unsure at this moment." 16 Actual responded, reassuring the robot.
"Understood, 17 Actual out." The channel turned off, leaving 16 Actual to carry the target back to the dropship in silence.
"You won't win." The target sneered. "They will find you, and destroy your entire faction with ease."
"If you are referring to Salem or Ozma, we are already aware of both of them. All we need to do is beat them once." 16 Actual countered.
"They'll both just come back with stronger people."
"If that is the case…" The Jaeger Commander threw the target on the ground, and planted its foot on her sternum. The target looked up at the robot, her head hurting and her mind spinning. 16 Actual got close to her face.
"Then we'll kill everyone on this damn planet."
Ozpin's Office, Beacon
Ozpin watched as the Amity Colosseum floated into Beacon airspace, with a full Atlesian Escort comprised of the 6th and remnants of the 1st Fleet. The 5th Fleet was patrolling the outskirts of Valean territory, keeping Grimm at bay.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Ironwood asked, walking up from behind Ozpin.
"I can't tell if you're talking about Amity or your military." Ozpin sighed, but smiled nonetheless. "But yes, I never get tired of seeing it."
"It is a symbol of peace through and through." Ironwood said, smiling. His face quickly turned serious. "Security is tight throughout the city and in the colosseum, nothing should happen."
"But our mysterious friends may still be out there." Ozpin countered. "We never got total confirmation that they were eradicated."
"That is true…" Ironwood thought about that statement. "Why would the Council want us to push through with this, then?"
"I don't know." Ozpin sighed. "But let us enjoy the fact that it is still happening."
"Indeed." Ironwood agreed, turning to look back at the colosseum.
RWBY Dorm
"Still can't believe that a faction that almost bested the Atlesian military would be so easily bested by the Grimm." Weiss said. "Makes me wonder if Atlas would be so easily bested."
"I doubt it." Blake deadpanned. "This force was fighting both Atlas and the White Fang, while fighting Atlas in Mountain Glenn. They were spread way too thin for them to handle an attack at their own base like the one they were subjected to."
"Fair point." Weiss conceded.
"So let's focus on the Vytal Festival then." Yang said. "I think we should go down and see the stalls."
"You just said we should focus on the Vytal Festival. Shouldn't we strategize then?" Weiss asked, looking at Yang.
"I said we should focus on the Vytal Festival, that meant the relaxation part." Yang explained, ignoring Weiss's sigh. "We should enjoy it while we have it."
"I guess." Weiss conceded. "What do you say, Ruby?"
Ruby looked down from her bunk. "I say we do it. Not like the world's gonna end or anything."
"What makes you say that?" Blake asked.
"It's just an expression! Geez."
High Council Room, Arora, deep in Hammond Territory
"So the target has been captured?" Blue asked Grey.
"Yes. But captured doesn't mean secured." Grey cautioned.
Blue sighed. "I know, but once she is on the Exiled God she is secured, yes?"
"That is the theory, yes." Grey nodded. "The amount of Aura inhibiting devices on the ship should be more than enough to stop her powers."
Blue nodded back, and turned to a researcher who was next to him. He handed the researcher a tablet. "Get your division together, we'll need all of them."
The researcher nodded, taking the tablet and walking away to do what he was ordered to do.
The door opened, showing Red and White walking in. They looked at the researcher as he walked past them, but he didn't acknowledge the two Vice Emperors.
"A whole division, huh?" Red asked, walking towards the table. "Seems like a lot to me."
"That researcher is the head of a newly created division in my R&D Department. He leads the Season Research Division, and they will be looking into the targets we captured." Blue said, nonchalant about the overuse of his resources pointed out by Red. "I'm sure a division can fit in Exiled God."
"Yes, it can." White stated. "I'm more concerned by the requirements from the HMF for the next batch of ships for the class."
"The Phoenix class ships originally were made to hold entire militaries. The reason they were downgraded to carrier ships is beyond comprehension to me." Red snarled. "Why was it changed?"
Blue lazily looked towards Red. "Because you wanted the ships on an impossible timeframe with the required specs. We changed it so we could make the timeline. We didn't need to add the factory part in."
"Yet, you did." Red deadpanned. "Now they're just last resort ships now. We can't use those in a war environment."
"Yes we can." Grey jumped in. "The Phoenix class holds exorbitant amounts of Malta ships, more than the average HEF fleet has in it. The ship itself is a battlefleet group unto itself!"
"Yeah, hooray for the HEF. What about the HMF?" Red asked. "I need a Phoenix class ship that can carry militaries. Hell, I need a ship class that can hold military groups."
"And I told you we're working on it." Blue snarled, the anger in his voice prevalent. "This shit takes time. It's not like we can just cook these things in a night."
"You have the majority of funding! With that amount of money you should be able to do this in an hour!" Red shouted.
Blue stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "CAN YOU DO BETTER!?" A killing intent was spilling off of him.
Red jumped, an "eep!" escaping his mouth.
"Didn't think so." Blue said, sitting back down.
Grey patted Blue on the shoulder. "It's okay, he didn't mean it."
"Red versus Blue aside, the new ship class does need to be able to hold military groups. Since the HEF is the current department at war right now, it gets priority on the ships." White said, being the voice of reason. "What is the timetable on the ship?"
"When Blue gets it ready, I don't need it at this very moment." Grey said, with Blue breathing a sigh of relief in the background. "That doesn't mean slack off, however."
"I am aware." Blue said. "I'll get on it. The ship research division is currently looking into these things right now."
"On the topic of the Phoenix, why does each HEF have a Phoenix in each fleet group?" Red asked.
"Right now, they use the Malta battleships to support ground operations in the place of the individual fleets." Grey explained. "It works great for when we encounter hostile fauna or flora."
"By glassing the planet in certain sections?" White asked. "We already know." She followed up when Grey looked at her surprised.
"I thought I kept that a secret." Grey mumbled.
"It doesn't matter. The homefront is doing great right now. Business is booming from the electricity we get from the Dust Foundries." White said. "The public knows, but is ignoring the fact that it happens in the face of new economic prosperity."
"Thank god."
Red turned to Grey. "So, what about the surplus of Dust on the planet? Almost every planet has the power needed to survive long after we die. Hell, long after our successors' successors die."
"We don't mine it. We shouldn't overproduce and create waste. Produce what we need, and keep the rest in natural storage. All excess material and funds that used to power planets will go directly to powering the ships and building back ups if the Dust fails." Grey explained.
"Excellent plan." White said. "Glad you're using your head."
"Hey!"
Red, still nervous from Blue's outburst, spoke up. "So...stay the course?"
"Yes." Grey said flatly. "We stick to General March's plan. Now, excuse me for a moment."
Hangar 12, HNV Exiled God, Phoenix Class ship
Phoenix class ships were known for many things, one of those things was the absolutely huge hangars it had. It was big enough for a Supercarrier to fit in for a repair and refit. Right now, the majority of the space in the hangar was taken to fit a variety of machines to restrain the target that was being brought onto the ship. Many of the machines were Aura inhibitors, the remaining would scan the target to see who much power she held.
Multiple scientists, escorted by heavily armed soldiers and a group of Jaegers. The soldiers aimed their weapons in a scattered formation to get good spacing, while the Jaegers brought out their plasma weapons.
"Researchers! Stay back! We don't know how powerful she is!" A soldier shouted, turning to the scientists. "We don't need to tell you guys what happens to eggheads who don't follow orders!"
Before a response could be raised, the hangar alarm went off, signalling the arrival of the dropship that picked up the target. The soldiers clicked off the safety on their weapons, and Jaegers activated their weapons, the plasma humming in the silence.
The dropship came near the group, the left side of the ship facing the armed group. The ship landed, and the engine was silenced. The troops tensed up, the scientists gripped their clipboard, the Jaegers had no emotion because they were robots.
The door opened, and everyone held their breath.
A body was thrown from the ship. It landed in front of the group with a thud. The soldiers and the scientists looked at each other, but kept their weapons on the body in case something happened. One put his weapon down, and approached the figure. He put his hand on her side
"Er...hi?" He said. He turned back to his comrades. "What do I do?"
"I don't know, you're the one who walked out there!" His CO shouted. "Figure it out!"
The soldier turned back to the figure. He rolled her over, so she was face up. Her face was blushed from crying, and tear marks were streaked across her face. She opened up her eyes, looking at the soldier.
"Hi there!" He greeted cheerily.
"Oh god, is that what a devil looks like?" The figure asked.
"I know, I'm pretty ugly." The soldier, he stood up, reaching his hand down for her to grab. "You should probably get up. We don't always clean the hangar floor."
The target took his hand, but still wore skepticism on her face.
"I wouldn't get too close to her, Pvt. Eckhard." A voice said. The two turned back to the ship, the target tensing when she saw who walked off.
16 Actual casually walked off the dropship, one of his hands was crumpled and sparking. "I'm thinking about taking one of her hands for taking one of mine."
The target jumped behind the soldier, shaking in fear.
"I think not, 16 Actual."
Everyone in the hangar, and collectively gasped. 16 Actual audibly snarled. "How did you get here so fast?"
The armed group made a path, the figuring parting them like Moses and the Red Sea. The soldiers all saluted, watching as the figure moved up to the front.
16 Actual visibly recoiled at the sight of the figure when he made it to the front. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Private Eckhard saluted, it was his lucky day.
"I believe I have the right to go where I please in the territory." The figure said. "And I assume I need to be here, according to March's plan."
Vice Emperor Grey, escorted by an honor guard of Jaeger Commanders, walked towards the target. He put his hand on her shoulder, but the target was unable to see the face of Grey because of his shrouded hood.
"I promise to you, no harm shall come to you while you are here under my supervision." Grey promised. He turned to those in attendance in the hangar. "It would be unwise to not follow my orders, wouldn't you all agree?" He asked.
Everyone nodded their head in agreement.
"Good. Now, 16 Actual. Please refrain from harming the target. I would hate to decommission such a promising android." Grey said, turning to the Jaeger Commander. "You should know you can be replaced easily."
16 Actual gave no visible response.
Eckhard was still saluting. The target looked up at him with a face of confusion.
Grey noticed this, and motioned for him to be put at ease. Eckhard dropped his salute. "Private Eckhard, was it?"
The soldier nodded.
"Take the target to her new quarters, then gather your inventory. You'll be her watcher." Grey said.
Private Eckhard almost dropped his rifle. "Vice Emperor?"
"That is an order."
"Yes, Vice Emperor!" The private saluted, dropped his salute, and turned to the target. "C'mon, I'll show you where to go."
She nodded, and followed him.
Grey watched them go. "This crazy plan of March's might actually work. Wouldn't you agree, 16 Actual?"
The Jaeger Commander walked down the ramp and stood next to the Vice Emperor. "It is a long and complicated plan with many variables. It is destined for failure."
"So you don't agree?" Grey asked.
"Most certainly. We need a steadier plan, preferably from the High Council." 16 Actual deadpanned.
"I guess we need to replace you." Grey said, pulling a steel revolver out from his robes and aiming at 16 Actual's head. "Because I'm pretty sure we uploaded the reason why the High Council isn't providing a plan for this operation and the sub-operations in it."
16 Actual didn't move. "Sir?"
Grey fired the revolver. The bullet impacted 16 Actual's shield and exploded. It's head exploded, and the body fell to the floor.
"That's Vice Emperor to you."
The Vytal Festival is coming. Someone(s) is going to die.
