Hey guys, been a while, huh? I took a week's break before writing this chapter, but I am back, and now I'm with Media Blitz! With that out of the way, like always, we got comments to address first, and I'm happy to see that you have enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope to keep your expectations up!
Also, I got some stuff to tell you at this chapter's end, so do check it out! It's important.
Yoshiki-909: Female spectres, huh? Perhaps I should use them again in the future, but I'll keep that in mind!
FgoFanLover: Whether I'll get Psionic Lash upgrades and use more Spectres in the future, well, as I said above, it's perhaps that I'll use them again in the future. As for whether I'll do Warcraft reforged? It's a maybe, to be honest. Finishing the trilogy and Nova Ops will take years to accomplish, but who knows? Perhaps in the future, I would do it.
J-SECTION-L: Who knows? Stick by and find out.
BlazerRaylock: Yeah, with the scarcity of detection in that mission and the urge to use spectres, it seems perfect to use spectres in that mission. Yeah… I was so focused on Ruby and Nora's reaction that I forgot about Summer. Oops.
Six samurai of dragon order: Yup! The real scale adds tension to the story since I wanted to make this story as realistic as I could. And it works by making specific units a fucking menace to deal with. Thors and battlecruisers become a real threat because of real scale.
Mike Snowball: Damn right I am! I played all three campaigns in real scale on hard mode about a month ago, and I will do it again in brutal. I loved every moment of it to hell! If you're curious about my upload schedule, I'd recommend you look at my profile for the details. Usually, it takes around two weeks to pump out one chapter.
As for your suggestion, I could do something like I did and include moments in which I nearly messed up, like in the dig, which I almost lost. Or perhaps something more. As you said, the gameplay has stagnated due to how much I've played the campaign and know how to do it. I will see if I can mix it up and hopefully make it less stale, but no promises, I could do it with ease on my part.
But I'll try.
Yolo27th: I tried looking up Neo Steel a while back, but like you, I found nothing. I could only guess it's much tougher than regular steel, but I do not know how much. All I managed to find is that Neo Steel is an exceptionally durable material that Terrans utilised and requires catalytic elements to create. Aka, Minerals.
Mimas41: That will eventually come in the coming years, I promise.
Viper0Vendalmy: Well, as you can tell, this mission's gonna be Media Blitz. But don't worry. We'll eventually get to the Haven missions in time.
Dakzillaman: Yup! Eventually, we'll reach them, and I hope you guys will be ok with what I chose and don't worry. I'll eventually do another Carbot Chapter eventually.
And we are done. I do not own RWBY or StarCraft. All these belong to their owners: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, and StarCraft 2 belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. I only own my OC in this story.
Media Blitz
An hour had passed since the last viewing session, and the tension in the realm lord's realm was noticeable. The number of patrol drones now seen had quadrupled, and many of them wielding some sort of esoteric weaponry that none of the audience could understand or comprehend.
Even more so when all movement within the realm has frozen to a halt, and because of that, none except RGQC's servants could move around the realm with ease. So poor Nora and Ruby, who wanted the chance to pilot the Odin had to wait until this crisis was over.
And at that moment, while everyone was in the dining room enjoying their meals, Tamamo walked in without her calm smile but now with a tense and alert look on her face. This was unlike what everyone knew of her, as she was known to be more energetic and carefree. Even more so was her change in appearance.
Her once-blue kimono has become much more prominent than before and now covers her entire body, including her arms and now has black and gold woven into its design, and it is large enough to drag on the ground behind her. Resting on her head were golden ornaments with bells that jingled with every step she took, and her pink hair had grown substantially, and now the ends were on the floor as well.
But the most eye-catching of the changes was her tail, or more accurately, tails. Compared to her previous form, Tamamo now spouts three tails which glow with divinity compared to her singular the last time they saw her. For those seeing Tamamo for the first time, like Adam, they were captivated by her beauty and almost perfect form.
Lastly, the mirror everyone remembers seeing, which usually floated above her head, was now in her hand and what looked like a rice stalk in the other.
"Ah, have I come at the wrong time?" Tamamo asked, her tone lacking joy and enthusiasm as before and now with earnest precariousness of the current situation.
"Not really," Neo shook her head. "But what makes this Bloccat. Blokkat? Is that how you say their name? What makes them so dangerous to have everything go on high alert?"
"Yeah, what's his problem with them?" Mercury asks while Cinder silently observes Tamamo's face while everyone glances at each other with unease. What are these things that make even RGQC panic at the mention of them?
"Blokkats. Or their full name, the Blokkat Harvesters, are a… intergalactic civilisation with a population in the septillions and technologies incomprehensible enough to make the Protoss look like nothing in comparison. They are… something master fears, for they harvest ALL energy in the universe for their special project." Tamamo explained with a frown.
"That includes everything beyond their dimension. In the past, they had made several inclusions into the realm beyond reality and dismantled everything wherever they went. Leaving nothing but the cold void behind. Not even heat escapes the absorption. Compared to everything in the multiverse, the Blokkats are the most dangerous species out of everything catalogued here, for they alone have dismantled entire galaxies, and several realms have fallen to their attacks in the past."
"Master, alongside his fellow realm lords, take the Blokkats threat seriously, and any incursion is met with full force, for they cannot be negotiated. They have tried before."
Absorbing everything Tamamo had said made everyone realise how insignificant they are if there's an entire species out there that actively dismantle entire galaxies for energy. But what about those who lived in that galaxy?
"Then… what about those who call that galaxy home?" Penny asked before Tamamo shook her head sadly while everyone else dreaded the answer.
"They are either forced to leave the galaxy or be dismantled by the Harvesters. The current recorded death tolls from their operations we have here are in the octillions, with countless civilisations being utterly swept away and dissolved into energy by the Blokkats' relentless harvest. They don't care if you call that planet home. They will dismantle it with you still on it."
"Oct-tillions…" Ironwood muttered with his mouth wide open, as the same could be said for everyone else. Even Ozpin was stunned by the death toll these Blokkats had brought.
"This is unbelievable… What do they need all that energy for?" Summer asks next before Tamamo shakes her head.
"I do not know. Only master and his fellow realm lords know the answers. But he told me this, and their project has a purpose behind it for the sake of their survival." Tamamo spat in disgust.
"They're... willingly doing this?" Ruby uttered in horror upon realising, as did the others. But they all were stunned by the revelation. "They don't care about the lives they take?"
"Unfortunately, no. They see all other sapient lifeforms as little more than fluctuations in energy levels to be harvested." Tamamo frowned before Yang gulp.
"I can see why RGQC sees them as a threat…"
"That's an understatement." Blake muttered before Torchwick groaned as he took his bowler hat.
"This is fucked up to the extreme. I may be a criminal mastermind, but I don't see anyone else as bloody resources to collect. What made them this fucked in the head?" Torchwick then asked as Tamamo shook her head with a sigh.
"That… is for another time Roman-San. I've taken enough of your time and must return to my patrols. You may return to the theatre room for your next viewing in an hour. I'll be there according to master's wishes for me to be with you, while Aries will be with Lily to ensure her safety." Tamamo then explained before she turned and left, though she paused momentarily when she heard Neptune asking.
"So… uh… ignoring that horrifying fact that will no doubt give everyone here nightmares later tonight, what's with the new look?"
"Heavens me, well someone's curious…" A sly smirk appeared on Tamamo's face as she turned and faced everyone.
"I am still who I am," Tamamo said as she signalled her body. "It is just that this is a stronger form servants like me possess. It is just that the situation simply calls for it, and I, alongside my fellow servants, will perform the tasks given to us." Tamamo explained.
"Now pardon me, but I must take my leave. I'll see everyone later!" And with that, Tamamo left everyone to their own devices. That would generally be the end of the conversation when another of RGQC's servants watched everyone from the shadows.
And that woman is Koyanskaya. Though now, instead of her white suit, Koyanskaya wears a white kimono with red accents instead and on her head is a white headpiece. Another change was her hair, now a silver tint, and six fox-like ears on her head. Koyanskaya also possessed five red-tipped fox tails compared to three of Tamamo and long blood-red claws instead of the usual hands she used to have in her weakened form.
"Say what you want, Tamamo. I am superior to you, no matter how you deny it. Now that those abominations are present in the realms beyond ours… I'm released from my house arrest because Master needs all hands-on deck, and now in one of my stronger forms…. I'll have my chance to have fun with Master's temporary pets…." Koyanskaya giggled with a smile which exposed her fangs before departing.
"Eventually…"
She has a job to do after all…
Hours later, everyone soon found themselves back in the theatre room as Tamamo herself could be seen talking to a familiar face in the form of Ratatoskr resting on Tamamo's shoulder.
"Oh dear, I've heard tales of those devourers from other versions of me before through the World Tree. Is it true that Master RGQC has been called to action because of this growing threat, Lady Tamamo?" Ratatoskr asked with worry as the three-tailed fox woman nodded her head.
"Yes, that is true Ratatoskr-San. Master has been called, and everyone is to remain on high alert. By now, his entire realm would be searching for any Blokkat scouts in his realm. I recommend you return to the World Tree Ratatoskr-San and watch for any of them. We wouldn't want them to spot a weakness in your tree. It would be terrible if it happened." Tamamo explained as her eyes glanced at everyone before returning to Ratatoskr, who wholeheartedly agreed as the squirrel of the world tree noticed everyone and knew his time here was up.
"Of course, Lady Tamamo! I shouldn't take any more of your or Master's guests' time anymore. We both have much to do while master RGQC is busy with the ever-looming threat. Well, I wish you and Master QAI the best! May this episode pass as it had before!"
And with that, Ratatoskr crawled to Tamamo's hand before jumping into a portal he summoned back into the World Tree as others waited patiently.
"Well… that was interesting to listen to…" Glynda mutters as Ozpin hums.
"The World Tree… I wonder if it is possible to visit such a place."
"You could, with permission from Master," Tamamo answered the headmaster's question. "The World Tree, or Yggdrasil, if you prefer to call it by its true name, is a place whose entire realms are connected to it and is known to transcend space and time itself. Ratatoskr-San serves as the Tree's tenant and is responsible for overlooking the Nine Realms under it, ensuring their status, and tending to the World Tree."
Tamamo explains that the eyes of curiosity could be seen in everyone's eyes. "Of course, if you do and venture into Yggdrasil, do be aware of Ratatoskr-San's Bitter Aspect, which can be seen there occasionally," Tamamo explained when someone who sounded incredibly bitter and pissed yelled out of nowhere.
"I heard that, you creepy fox women with three bloody tails! Now do what the boss told ya to do, or are you just going to talk all day like you tend to do with the boss's guests?" Tamamo's eyes were visibly twitching with a strained smile while everyone else was surprised at how rude whoever that was.
"Who was that?" Weiss then asked as Tamamo took out a fan and let out a sigh.
"Ah. That would be Ratatoskr-San's Bitter Aspect I talked about earlier Weiss-Chan," Tamamo muttered as she sat down. "But yes, we should begin now," Tamamo explained as the theatre room darkened.
"But where did that Rappy go?" Nora suddenly interrupted before everyone looked around for the adorable yellow bird, yet none could spot it. Tamamo simply spoke.
"Ah. The little Rappy was returned to its enclosure immediately when Master issued a realm-wide sweep for any Blokkat scouts. Don't fret. Its enclosure is safe under… Koyanskaya's watch…" Tamamo droned out at the end while Cinder and her followers frowned at Tamamo upon hearing her mention that sadistic fox woman who made them suffer from some sort of virus that melts their flesh.
The Odin was successfully stolen from the Dominion labs in spite of Tychus' crazy antics. Now Raynor must take the Odin to Korhal and capture the UNN broadcast stations.
"And how are they going to do that?" Emerald asked while Tamamo giggled.
"Connections and Influence are important in any government should you want things to go your way Emerald-San. After all, those at the top know very well how important those are, yes?" Tamamo grinned as she glanced at the headmasters of Beacon and Atlas while also giving the same look to Robyn.
And as her grin grew, those three had to nod their heads in agreement. Yes, they had to rely on connections and their influence as headmasters or politicians to get what they required at times. Ozpin with the Vale Council, Ironwood with his council members, and Robyn with her plans to run for office eventually.
Hyperion Cantina - 19:14 Shipboard Time
Those were the words that appeared on the screen before it lit up to show Raynor back in the Cantina talking to his buddy Tychus with a smile on his face. "Well, you fought real good out there, Tychus. Your time in the freezer didn't dull your edge none."
Raynor said as his partner spoke. "Well, fear and violence always did bring out the best in me."
Everyone instantly remembered the last mission of Tychus, quickly running everyone over with the Odin after Raynor's spectres did their work from within. "Yeah… fear and violence totally brought the best out of him…" Sun sarcastically said as that earned chuckle.
The screen then cuts to Raynor simply chuckling upon hearing his partner's response. "Have to admit, we always did make a good team." Raynor said as Tychus agreed wholeheartedly.
"Yeah," The convict chuckles along before he points out. "well - that was until I went to prison... and you went legit."
"Oh, that got awkward…" Mercury mutters as several others agree. The scene got awkward once both partners went their separate ways because of one incident that got Tychus in prison and Raynor Scott free.
Probably realising that Tychus had a point that their teamwork only lasted until they went their separate ways, Raynor could only mutter with an 'ah, good point tone'. "Right."
A solid minute of pure silence followed as both men glanced at each other before Raynor poured himself a shot and drank it in one go. And once he did, and for the sake of both of them, he changed the topic. "So how does the Odin rate as a fighting machine?" Raynor asked as Tychus expressed the most emotion everyone had ever seen on his face. However, others were watching the scene who wholeheartedly agreed.
"Yeah, the Odin is so cool!" Nora yells out, as many of them agree that the orange-haired girl that the Odin performed its primary purpose as a war machine. Though the Atlesians won't admit it, they were thinking of how to incorporate its designs into the colossus. Perhaps a look into the Realm lord's collection would give them a hint on how they could make something similar.
Though its size alone brings into question the logistical and resource efficiency of such a massive War machine against the Grimm.
"Brother... it is the single greatest creation in the history of mankind. Stridin' around dispensin' righteous fury just about brought a tear to my eye." Tychus's face brightens up as he continues with a single chuckle. "Heh. You just let me know when I can take it out for another spin!"
"We'll get to see the Odin in action again? Awesome!" Ruby cheered before getting slapped in the back by her partner, who rubbed her ears.
"Ruby…"
"Yes, Weiss?" Ruby giggled nervously.
"Volume. Again."
"Right. Sorry." Ruby sighed before her mother rubbed her head.
"It's ok, dear. You just happen to get loud when you're excited, and I understand why."
"You'll get your chance soon enough, ol' buddy. Don't you worry." Raynor assured his partner when the UNN news network began playing, and both men looked up.
- Authorities impound all privately owned vessels - Deadman's Port reclamation project put on hold - Emperor declares moratorium on interplanetary travel - Zerg sightings on Moria false alarm according to KMC - Kyla Velassi detained for possessing controlled substances -
"A moratorium, huh? Things must not be looking good for them." Qrow observed as he drank some water. Things must not be going well within the dominion if this is happening.
"Yeah, and all privately owned ships are confiscated as well," Tai added in. "Probably means the war is going badly if they're trying to stop interplanetary travel and taking all privately owned ships away."
"Makes me wonder what's happening inside to cause that to happen…" Summer then hummed as the news network played on screen.
And as the tv screen began to play, Kate herself could be seen on screen with buildings that go into the skies in the background. "This is Kate Lockwell reporting from UNN headquarters on Korhal. Let's go to Donny Vermillion, on special assignment."
"So, they have a guest… I wonder who they'll be." Coco wonders out.
She said as the screen cuts to Donny as well as a special guest in the form of General Warfield himself. "Kate, I'm very pleased to be talkin to General Horace Warfield. General, I understand that Dominion Forces will soon be showing off their newest weapon, the Odin war machine?"
"Oh? Are they talking about the Odin from the last viewing? How did they not realise that it got stolen by Raynor?" Neptune wonders as Weiss chooses to speak her theory.
"There must be connections Tamamo mentioned earlier in play here."
"Likely Weiss." Blake hummed as the screen continued.
The UNN News Anchor asks as Warfield lets out a single chuckle. "That's correct, Donny. We'll show the Odin on the streets of Korhal itself, with full coverage from your fine network."
Yang couldn't help but let out a cheeky chuckle. "Oh, this will be good once Mengsk's lies get out to everyone."
"Yeah, can't wait to get a look at his stupid face once this blows up." Sun happily adds in.
But before Donny or Warfield can speak, Kate suddenly butts into the conversation as the screen shows her just below Warfield. "General, Kate Lockwell here. I've heard rumblings about some sort of logistics trouble with the Odin's debut?" She asked before Donny tried to change the topic.
"Now Kate!" But Donny was quickly interrupted by Warfield, who confirmed her rumour.
"It's true, Kate. The Odin was delayed in shipping, and we briefly lost communication with the production facility. But it arrived safely, so we can go ahead with the unveiling." Warfield explained as most of the audience let out a sigh of relief that the last mission somehow went underneath their noises.
"Good to know it went well." Velvet lets out a sigh of relief.
The screen then pans towards Donny, who took over. "You heard it here first. The Dominion unveiling new weapons of destruction on the streets of Korhal!" The UNN logo comes up, but Vermillion can still be heard with a furious outburst. "What is wrong with that woman? Tell her not to interrupt my interviews!"
Snickering immediately broke out upon hearing Donny's outburst, with him unaware that the mic was still on. This will probably be heard all over Dominion space. Nevertheless, it was even funnier that Donny was being a hypocrite at this moment with the amount of time he interrupted Kate's interviews.
"That has to be awkward…" Penny points out as Winter agrees.
"This has happened before back on Remnant. Admittedly, they were not scandal worthy most of the time."
"Well, it must be entertaining to someone, at least whenever this happens, yeah?" Yang points out as several agree with the blondie.
The camera quickly cuts to Tychus expressing his respect for Raynor's second. "Your boy Horner is actually pullin' this off. Gotta say, I'm mighty impressed."
"Oh… so it was Matt that did all the work with his connections and stuff…" Ruby was the first to understand that it was Matt who used whatever he could to hide from the Dominion that the Odin had been hijacked.
"You know, we never asked about his background, now that I think about it. What's his story?" Blake asked as Tamamo smiled as she took out her tablet between her breasts, just like how she did it the first time, much to those who witnessed it for the first time's shock. While the guys quickly closed their eyes again.
"Ah, Matt-San's history is a long one. Born as the second son of a minor Tyrador IX merchant, and lived a boring and safe life. Yet, he yearned for something more. After hearing tales from a trader working with the Sons of Korhal that they'll out to defeat the Terran Confederacy and are willing to praise anyone who plots its downfall. Horner, an intelligent but bored, youthful and idealistic boy, found himself supporting the Sons of Korhal's cause of wanting 'to make a difference.'"
"So, he enlisted in the Confederate Navy, where he excelled as a pilot. After graduating with honours, he immediately deserted the Confederacy and joined the Sons of Korhal full-time. It was there where Matt-San met Jim Raynor, who he grew to admire for his bravery and loyalty."
"Some time passed, and after Mengsk used psi emitters to lure the Zerg on masse to Tarsonis, Matt-San was one of the first to join Raynor when he broke off from the Sons of Korhal and formed the Raynor's Raiders. During this time, the Raiders also seized Mengsk's flagship, the Hyperion, at the Dylarian Shipyards. Matt was assigned to run the ship and eventually become the captain of it."
Everyone silently listened as Tamamo explained Matt's backstory, and now everyone understands the captain of the Hyperion more. Now with an idea of how Matt could have used his connections to help ensure the Odin's high jacking had gone undetected, the screen resumes.
"Thanks, Tychus." Raynor smiled before he finished his drink to see Tosh watching above and signalling him to come over for a chat. And with his conversation done with his partner, Raynor got off his chair and headed straight for Tosh. And upon arriving, Tosh asks a question.
"Ever wonder why Mengsk don't just send him Ghosts to kill you? You've been a thorn in his side for a long time." The Spectre leader points out as it makes the gears in everyone's minds turn. He is right. Why doesn't Mengsk have his ghosts kill him already?
But Raynor had already figured it out before anyone could say anything. "Assassinating me'd just turn me into a martyr." Raynor lets out an amused chuckle. "He'd never be rid of me then. He needs to kill my reputation first."
"He makes a good point. If he's popular with the people, killing him would only make others rise in his name and use Raynor as a martyr against Mengsk's tyranny." Ilia observed before she gave a worried glance at Adam. To think he would get more unstable in the future and have Sienna murdered and intended to use her as a martyr against humanity.
But she can change that when everyone gets back. But how can she alone change the path of the Fang away from falling into a spiral of violence? Not alone, that is for sure.
Impressed by Raynor's answer, Tosh continues. "Very good. You think clearly despite your hate for him. 'Course his patience has got limits too. Tread careful, Mr. Raynor. Someone on this ship is already working for Mengsk. I can feel it." The Spectre leader warns as it earns everyone's attention.
"Someone's a traitor on the ship?" Weiss raised an eyebrow before sipping on her tea. "Then who is the one?"
"Hmm… Perhaps we would find out eventually? Uncle Qrow always says to trust your gut, and if Tosh can feel that someone on the ship is working for Mengsk it must be the case." Yang adds in before Neptune joins the conversation.
"The only question now is, who is the traitor hiding on board this ship?"
"You know, this reminded me of a game Master used to play with his fellow realm lords before they got sick of the constant jokes about it." Tamamo hummed as her comment earned the attention of several of the cast.
"Oh… what kind of game is it?" Ruby asked with curiosity as the Fox Servant explained.
"It's an interesting social deduction game played between three to fifteen players max. It is where the majority of the players are crewmembers, but a small number of them are imposters, and the main objective is for the crewmembers to find who are the imposters and vote them out. At the same time, it is the imposter's objective to kill everyone else except their fellow imposters. I believe some of you would enjoy it." Tamamo explained.
"How interesting! I could see how such games could be popular to even realm lords!" Penny intrinsically finds it fascinating as Tamamo nods her head.
"I can go into more detail about it, but we'll be here longer than expected. Perhaps you all could go for a game after this viewing?" Tamamo suggests with a cheeky grin. And with that, the screen resumed.
"Sure… Thanks' for the heads up." Raynor mutters as he glances at everyone else enjoying their time in the cantina before looking back. "I'd keep my eyes open." And with that, Raynor left the cantina as he found himself in the Armoury and talked to his chief engineer.
"So Swann, what're the chances we can build something like that Odin?" He asked a genuine question, only for Swann to sputter and look at his commander ludicrously.
"You nuts? No way we got the facilities for mass-producing hardware on that scale." He points out, and the audience has to agree. As awesome as that Odin is to have stomping over anything and everything, it's too big and quite challenging for the Raiders to scrounge up enough resources to make more of these Odins.
"Yup. If the Dominion could only make one of these monstrosities, I doubt the Raiders had the needed resources to make more." Tai mumbled as his first wife grunted in agreement.
"I concur. There's no way they can make more of them." That earned noises of disappointment from the more enthusiastic casts as the screen continued.
And almost in mock disappointment mixed with a sprinkle of flattery, Raynor continues. "And here I was thinking you could build anything, Swann." And that appears to be enough to convince Swann as he retorts.
"Cute. Alright - forget the scale! I'm gonna figure it out, don't you worry. An' I'll come up with something a damn sight more practical than that show piece. You see if I don't!" With an amused chuckle, Raynor finished this conversation.
"I know you won't Swann."
"Something tells me we're going to get those big boys Thors in action soon," Neptune mumbled as everyone had to agree. As impressive as the Odin is, it's too impractical in the ever-changing fight for freedom. No doubt it has to be dialled back to make them more effective in a fight.
"I can too! Can you, Renny?" Nora asked her partner, who nodded his head.
"Likely." He says while Tamamo could be seen giggling like a schoolgirl for some reason.
Turning away from Swann, Raynor left the Armoury and found himself in the Laboratory, staring at the console while Ariel was nearby looking at her tablet before commenting. "The Dominion is getting into some pretty advanced weapons technology. But their biological sciences are still terrible."
"Yeah… You'll think they'll improve it with the Zerg around," Raynor mutters before he and Ariel talk out a bit.
"I must say, the biological sciences of Remnant are lacking, don't you think?" Tamamo hummed almost humorously as her eyes were on her tablet. And she is correct in a way for people like Pietro. While advances in robotics and AI are advanced, others, like biological research, are still behind.
Sure, they have done biological research in the past for medical care and bodily functions but either than that, nothing much. Heck, they still don't even know how Faunuses came to be and their strange biology.
"But speaking of Biology, my master has found some interesting information from studying Faunus genetics." Tamamo grinned as her words earned the interest of everyone. From those from Atlas to those who are students, to Faunuses themselves, as she explained.
"Upon further study, most of the current Faunus genetics appear to be artificial and have special properties, which is why when two Faunus of different types would produce an offspring with a dice roll of what characteristics they'll take. Master speculates that someone or something created you with the majority of your genetics based on Humans. Though with the nature of the multiverse, there can be hundreds of reasons why Faunuses exist on every Remnant." Tamamo explained as she taped her tablet, all while the theatre was deathly silent at the revelation
(Author's note: Don't take what is said here as fact. I'm just theorising since Faunuses must be created somehow and don't just magically appear out of thin air. Unless that's how they were made by the Brother gods or something. Only RT knows. Assuming they'll dive into it in the future, if ever.)
"For example, one reason master had catalogued is quite fascinating." Tamamo had an intrigued smile. "In this Remnant, just as the tales go that Humanity was created by the Brother Gods, Faunuses in that Remnant were created by their Gods who called themselves the Sisters of Twilight. And they created Faunus Kind to help Humanity thrive on Remnant as equals and not as second class-citizens nor slaves."
"Oh my…" Those were the words that came out of Belladonna's matriarch's mouth. "This is unexpected." Her eyes soon fell upon her husband, who grunted with narrow eyes. At the same time, Adam looks as if he is about to explode violently at the revelation that his people in this Remnant were created to help Humans.
Humans.
"Please calm yourself Adam-San," Tamamo stared deadpan at Adam as if daring him to throw a fit. Thankfully, the bull Faunus is not foolish enough to start an inconvenience. "This is for their Remnant, not yours. Your people must find their place in Remnant. Not everything I said here is the same in your world."
"How fascinating! What else is different about this world?" Penny curiously asked as every single Faunus perked up again when they spotted Tamamo with a sly smile on her lips.
"Ah, there is one that I think you will find interesting, Penny-Chan. In that Remnant, the Sisters have created a special bloodline of Faunuses tied directly to them. They are known as the Arakans, which means Worthy Ones or Chosen in an ancient language long forgotten in that Remnant. And if tales are to be believed, the ancient Arakans were revered as demigods by their kind for their ability to wield magic. So, it goes."
"That's so cool!" Ruby gleamed upon hearing Tamamo's explanation that the Arakans can wield magic. It also earned a curious eye raise from Ozpin, which the Fox servant spots.
"How interesting…" Ozpin hummed in his head at this exciting fact from Tamamo. But one thing still bugs him, as with everything related to the past. "If I may, Miss Tamamo, do the Arakans still exist in the present? Or did they fade away into history?" That immediately brought the mood down slightly though Tamamo didn't seem bothered by it.
"Oh, they still exist out there, though they are few and are dying out. Though… I can say that some of you here have formed a bond with the Arakan descendants. And some are closer than others…" Tamamo gave another cheeky grin as her eyes were on Ozpin knowingly. While everyone was intrigued by the idea that some of them had met an Arakan descendant in that Remnant, they were confused by how Tamamo gave Ozpin a look for some reason.
While at the same time, Cinder's group were curious about this, and perhaps they should peer into that universe for answers…. It eventually clicked in Ozpin's mind when he finally understood the hidden meaning of Tamamo's words. "Is she saying my next host is an Arakan in that Remnant?"
Tamamo opens up a fan that blocks the lower half of her face as her eyes go to the screen. "But alas, I've taken enough time talking about an alternative Remnant. Let us continue. You can read the details later during your break!" And with that, the screen continues.
With his talk with Ariel done, Raynor left the Laboratory as the screen darkened before it lit up again to show him walking into the Hyperion bridge. But once he did, Matt, staring at the star map, turned to face his commander before addressing him.
"Sir, when Tychus came back aboard the ship, I had the techs run a scan on him." He said as Raynor stopped with a 'seriously?' look on his face.
"Huh, I wonder why Matt did a scan on that convict? Seems unnecessary." Neo observed before Torchwick shrugs.
"Who knows? We know the dude doesn't trust Tychus at all. Perhaps its suspicious paranoia getting to the fella." The criminal mastermind sipped his drink before Ironwood Robyn scratched her chin with a frown.
"This doesn't seem to be suspicious paranoia…"
"Matt, you need to get a hobby." Raynor's dry comment earned laughter from the audience as it was clear to everyone that Raynor was not taking his second concern seriously, though it appears he is, however.
"Seriously, Sir - his suit contains a sophisticated transponder... if it receives the correct code, it'll shut down all his major organs. That suit is a death trap."
The words everyone heard from Matt made everyone pale. How does one have a suit that can shut down major organs? The very idea of it is appalling and horrifying. It is as if your life is in someone's hands, and if what Matt says is true, someone can remotely kill you for disobeying.
The only question now is who's holding Tychus's life in their hand?
Upon hearing that his partner has a transponder in his suit from his second, Raynor's eyes widen in realisation. "He's got a gun to his head."
"And who's got their finger on the trigger? Moebius?" Matt then suggests.
"So that prince boy has Tychus in his hands?" Emerald points out first, and others are inclined to believe her. Though for others, it wouldn't make any sense… Sure, Valerian is the son of Arcturus Mengsk, but it is clear to all that he desires to be better than his father, and it wouldn't make any sense to bind Tychus to his will through that suit.
Unless someone else is holding Tychus on a leash…
"I don't believe that is the case here, Ms Sustrai." Glynda shook her head. "We're missing something here."
"Glad we're on the same page, Glynda. I don't think the pretty boy is responsible for something this awful." Qrow grimaces before sipping on some water.
"Then who is doing it then? Narud?" Weiss then suggested as shrugs went around, but all can agree that this is messed up, including Cinder and Adam.
"Tychus, what have you gotten yourself into?" Raynor could only wonder as Matt had an uncertain look on his face. It is clear that Tychus is under someone's thumb, but the main question is, who exactly?
With nothing else to talk about besides Tychus's condition, Raynor shuffled towards the star map, and once he was opposite Matt and leaning on it, he sighed. "We'll worry about that later, Matt. Bring up the Star map."
"Yes, sir." Matt said as he pressed the button on the console before the camera panned so the audience could see the next destination. While Haven and Sigma quadrant are still there, there is a new location to visit, and it is Korhal. Everyone's eyes widen at what will happen next as Raynor selects it.
"Looks like they're paying Korhal a visit now that the Odin will be there," Neptune observes.
"About time too!" Sun enthusiastically adds in. "I can say we all are waiting for this moment to kick Mengsk where it hurts!" The monkey Faunus grinned as cheers went around. It is time to put the pain into that tyrant. Even some of the adults were waiting for this moment, though they were calmer, of course.
"Yeah!"
Upon selecting Korhal as their next destination, Matt began to debrief on the mission. "We have the Odin, now we can use it to spearhead our take-over of the UNN studios on Korhal. Once the Odin has taken out their defences, we'll broadcast our evidence against Mengsk. Figure they'll throw everything they have at us. They'll be talking about this one for years."
"Yup. Matt, set a course to Valhalla. It's time we send a message to good old Mengsk." Raynor grinned with slight glee as his second affirmed.
"Understood, sir." And then, the screen darkens.
"Well, this will be awesome at the end of this mission!" Yang grinned as she could feel her excitement threatening to burst out.
"Oh! And more explosions too!" Nora giggled.
"Yeah! Can't forget about that!" Ruby joined in as her mother gently rubbed her hair. It is not often she could see her daughter this excited about something in a while
The screen lights up to show Raynor and Matt facing each other before the latter spoke, while the Odin could also be seen on screen. "Our raid on the Valhalla facility hasn't even been reported yet. The Dominion has no idea we stole the Odin." The camera then zooms in on Matt as he continues.
"I had to call in every favor I had, but I got the Odin on the surface, with Tychus inside."
"Must be tough to get that convict inside that Odin if he needs to call in every single favour he had. I must wonder about the processes he must have taken to get him inside the Odin." Ghira wondered as his dear wife wholeheartedly agreed with him.
"Yes, it must be enormous if they have to go through the administration via his connections."
"Whatever's the case, Tychus is in the Odin now." Ironwood grumbled out. The idea that a convict and not a certified pilot controls the Odin annoys him. He never trusted the man, and seeing how Raynor had to rely on him irks him.
Matt explains before the camera moves to Raynor as he thanks him. "Matt, you're a miracle worker. It must have been a complicated operation."
"You don't even want to know sir. I'm not going to let anything keep us from exposing Mengsk." Matt then said as the camera moved away from him and onto the screen, portraying Odin walking down the streets of Korhal.
"So they're still expecting to film it at the UNN studio later today?" Raynor asked next as the screen cuts to show the Odin moving in with its escorts to a place with statues dotted around the area. Each step the war machine took made the ground rumble as Dominion marines and hellions followed after it. Thousands of Civilians could also be seen on the sides with their phones out, cheering at the sight of the Dominion's strength.
"Wow, that's a lot of civilians there." Sun observed before Ilia mutters.
"Hopefully, they can get out of there and into cover once the battle starts. I'm not one for letting innocents get caught in the crossfires." She admits before hearing Adam growling in the background and muttering something about how there are no innocents.
"That's right - and we won't disappoint them. Seeing as he's the only one with experience, Tychus will pilot the Odin and hit the studio guards with a surprise attack. They'll be confused for several minutes - and won't even know who to attack at first." Matt explains in detail further as Penny agrees.
"It makes sense! Performing a sneak attack with the Odin will work as none of the local guards would expect it from one of their war machines, no less the Odin itself, to attack them! Though if I'm correct, they would only have a few minutes before the Dominion realised that Raynor's men hijacked the Odin!" A round of agreed nods went around before Tamamo complimented the android in hiding.
"An astute observation Penny-Chan!"
"And during the confusion, we'll establish a forward base using this command center we 'acquired' earlier." Raynor then explains as it cuts to show a command centre flying in before landing as the camera cuts back to Raynor.
"Pretty devious, Matt. I like it." He admits with a smirk before Matt takes over.
"If Tychus can inflict enough damage during the sneak attack, making the broadcast should be relatively easy." Raynor's second continued before he turned his head towards the screen and gave a warning. "Keep in mind - we'll only have a few minutes before the Dominion realize that Tychus is in the Odin."
Matt warned as the camera began circling the parade with the Odin could be seen still in the middle of the parade centre. The next second, it cuts to show a battlecruiser and some Wraiths flying over buildings that seem to touch the skies. "Once they figure it out they'll use everything they've got to stop us." Matt explained.
"Makes sense. They're in the heart of the Dominion, and once they figure out what they're trying to do, it only makes sense for Mengsk to do everything he can to stop them." Jaune hummed as he rubbed his chin right as Ren agreed with him.
"Yes, they might be on a time limit to upload Mengsk's war crime to the UNN News Network. Nevertheless, I have confidence they could resolve it with only a few bumps." And with everyone agreeing with the quiet boy, the screen continues.
Yet, Raynor wasn't concerned about the Dominion throwing everything in the kitchen sink at them. "Whatever happens, we'll be givin' Mengsk one hell of a broadcast." He said confidently before he turned and walked away. "Let's do this."
And with that, the screen darkens.
"I have a feeling this is going to get messy fast." Blake mumbled while her partner agreed.
"Yeah, when is anything easy here? One thing I know is that this will be worth it once it gets out." Yang folded her arms with a confident smirk as the others agreed with the blond bruiser. All of them were looking forward to seeing Mengsk get knocked down a peg or two though others like Ozpin or Ironwood were still thinking about Tychus and his supposed gun to his head.
Could it be that… It might be that it wasn't Valerian that had held the gun on Tychus but his father, but it doesn't connect well. Unless…
The screen lit up to show the command centre Raynor had acquired alongside several SCVs before Matt appeared on the screen. "I'm in the Dominion security network. Bringing up their locations now." Raynor's second said as the camera pans to the Dominion base to the west. Star ports litter the base, and most of its local guards consist of aircraft and a fucking battlecruiser watching over from above.
Though many of them appear to be on the ground and unmanned, as pilots and engineers could be seen doing their work, another thing of note was several Vikings in land mode and can be seen patrolling the base. And right in the middle of it was a broadcast tower the audience had seen before back in the first mission they'd seen.
Qrow whistled out at the sight of the first Dominion base. That's an extensive base, alright, and it doesn't help that it has a battlecruiser watching over it from above. They'll be going to need some anti-air to take it out. And it doesn't help that this is just the beginning.
"Talk about an air base." The veteran Huntsman muttered as nods went around.
The screen then cuts to show the northeast base, which consists of factory units. Siege tanks could be seen sieged up while diamondbacks and goliaths patrolled the vicinity. There were also Dominion pilots and engineers walking throughout the base, unaware of the chaos about to come.
"A base focused on factory units," Ozpin observes. "And by deduction, this means the last base would be infantry focused."
"Three bases, three broadcast towers, it seems," Glynda concluded as the screen continued.
The camera pans over the northeast base for a few seconds before it cuts to show the eastern base, which consists of reapers, hellions, ghosts and vultures. And the audience could tell that out of the three bases they had seen, the eastern base looked the easiest to punch through, while the western base was the hardest with the presence of a battlecruiser.
With all three bases seen, the camera cuts back to the main parade with the Odin right as Raynor appears on screen to give the go. "Alright, Tychus - do your thing."
"Oh, those poor guys will never see it coming." As strange as it sounds, Coco pitied those poor Dominion men near the Odin. They will never stand a chance against that War machine with their Gauss rifles. And the only way they could survive against that thing was by running.
"Yeah… I hope they will run instead of shooting it…" Velvet agreed. The Dominion is about to have a bad time, she concludes.
With the go-to being the chaos, Tychus grinned. "Thought you'd never ask."
And with the go, the Odin suddenly turned 180 degrees, much to everyone's confusion, before it pointed its guns at the current Dominion guards and opened fire, much to their shock. An explosion echoed in the city as civilians realised what was happening and began screaming terror before they fled; the local Dominion guards, still shocked by what had transpired, finally snapped out of their confusion. Some began firing upon the Odin while others started getting the civilians out.
Though a few went 'fuck this' and ran for their lives. Like hell, they will fight that thing with just Gauss rifles.
One of the Marines who began firing at the Odin's cockpit yelled out to his communicator. "Odin has gone rogue. Repeat - Odin has gone rogue!" This was followed by another Dominion marine who yelled out as well.
"Bring it down!" They never stood a chance and were quickly reduced to mists of red when the Odin turned its guns on them.
In a span of a few seconds, after the Odin fired its gun, the audience's mouths were wide open at how fast things went out of control. Though, many were thankful to see that some of the local Dominion guards were more concerned with the lives of the civilians caught in the middle of a battle and, at the same time, baffled at others who choose to fight the Odin head-on suicidally.
"Can't blame some who chose to flee." Mercury lightly chuckled.
"Yeah, I would have booked from the scene if I was there." Sun admitted as he scratched his cheek with his tail. "But I would have stayed back to get everyone out of there, of course…" The monkey Faunus quickly added in when he noted that his comment earned looks from everyone else.
"Good save." Neptune whispered into his partner's ears as the chaos continued.
While the Odin makes quick work of those who full-heartedly throw themselves against it to either attempt to destroy it or to buy time for the civilians to get to cover, a timer of four minutes appears on the top right of the screen as it reads.
Surprise Attack Ends In: 4:00
"Only four minutes before the surprise attack ends? Then again, I suppose it makes sense for them to respond rapidly to this attack in the middle of their capital world." Weiss mumbled right as Ruby added in.
"I hope he tries to keep the collateral down in this place. Who knows how many could have been caught in the fight?"
"I agree with you dear." Summer hummed slowly as the screen continued.
And at the same time, General Warfield appeared on screen before issuing a demand. "Attention rogue pilot. This is General Warfield of Dominion command. You are ordered to stand down or face immediate termination." Tychus ignores him completely, and once he is done with the local guards. He drives the Odin straight for the northeastern base.
"I'm going for the northeastern base Jimmy." Tychus said on screen as civilians were cowering in fear and confusion. Several of them even had their phones out, recording the Odin as it stomped through the streets while intentionally or unintentionally crushing empty cars underneath its feet, streetlights and other things that happened to be in the Odin's way.
"At least many of them had managed to get to shelter." Torchwick lets out a sigh. He's not one for having collateral whenever he does his robberies. It caused him and Neo way too many problems numerous times before.
"Yeah," Neo arrogantly agrees. "We're professionals, after all, and we don't let civilians get caught in the blast. Unwanted casualties bring more trouble than it's worth."
"Right…" Robyn mutters as she and many others are unsure how to react to Torchwick and Neo's… professionalism.
Upon reaching the northeastern base, Tychus, inside the Odin, began its rampage, stomping and firing upon the siege tank, destroying it in a single shot and causing every Dominion personnel to be stunned before panic broke loose. A recording of Mengsk could be heard in the background to make the scene even more ironic.
"Behold the Dominion's newest weapon of war - the Odin!" He says it with drama as the Odin brings its back cannons and unleashes hell upon several factories while everyone scrambles towards or away from the Odin. It was chaos for them as the Odin destroyed everything with a single shot.
Siege tanks. Gone. Goliaths. Gone. Diamondbacks? Gone as well. None stood a chance as the Dominion's weapon of war crushed everything beneath its feet. And only the bodies of the dead and wreckage remained.
"Rogue Odin spotted. Bring it down!" Even as siege tanks fired their tungsten rounds onto the Odin, it shrugged them off like nothing before it got obliterated instantly in a single shot.
As for everyone else, well… It took some time for everyone to get used to the absolute destruction the Odin brought to the first base, except for Nora and a few others, who were having a blast watching as the Odin tore its way through the first base as if it was tissue paper.
"Boom!" Nora giggled in absolute delight as the Odin unleashed its cannons and obliterated several factories in one salvo. All while bullets bounced off its thick armour. Much to everyone's shock, as soon as it was done unleashing hell, the Odin crushed a goliath underneath its foot and gave its pilot a gruesome death. How brutal Tychus had been so far in this mission was understandably shocking.
"Oh… that's awful. I hope that guy at least has a quick death…" Tai had to wince as the Odin lifted its foot up to show scrap metal and what looked like a puddle of blood or body bits. "I can't imagine how painful getting crushed to death must have felt."
"Excruciatingly painful, I assume!" Penny helpfully answered while Adam mumbled something about humans being savages, but those who heard the bull Faunus chose to ignore him. He is just being biased here.
The Odin continued its rampage in the northeastern base before it departed and headed straight for the eastern base to resume its rampage. Another of Mengsk's recordings could be heard as the Odin stomps its way through the streets as civilians flee for their lives at the sight of the rogue war machine.
"Human tenacity and ingenuity have come together to forge the final answer to the Zerg threat!"
"Final answer…" Ironwood couldn't help himself but scoff. He has seen this multiple times. All of it was just bravado or a way to flex their might. The General finds it all meaningless against the Grimm. Still, several Atlesian politicians have suggested that they announce to the world that they had the Colossus in the past, which he denied on the spot numerous times in fact.
But it did not end there, and they kept bugging him till now.
Upon reaching the eastern base, Tychus had the Odin use its back cannons and perform a barrage attack, alerting everyone to Odin's presence as explosions rock the base to its core. Workers and engineers ran for their lives while various Dominion military personnel moved in to engage the rogue Odin firing upon them.
"Reaper man engaging rogue Odin!" One of the reapers called out, only to be instantly reduced to red mist in an instant upon attracting its attention. Though some managed to get close and attach their explosive packs to the Odin's legs, and with a roaring explosion, the Odin visibly stumbled before the smoke blew away to reveal holes in its legs with parts of it glowing hot red.
"Whoa! They actually damaged the thing?" Yang and the others were baffled that the Dominion reaper's suicide attack on Odin's legs worked. Not by much, but it did almost as much damage as the siege tanks, which pound the tougher amour the Odin's chassis.
"It does make sense for the legs to be its vulnerability for giant walkers like the Odin!" Penny concludes right as her father adds in.
"It does. Dealing enough damage would impede the Odin's ability to move, and if enough damage is done to it, the whole machine will topple over under its weight. Even more so, seeing how every step it takes creates potholes, I have no doubt the Odin weighs several hundred thousand tons by my estimate." The old scientist explained as everyone thought through his words before Tamamo giggled and added in.
"It is true, but its high armour and stature allow the Odin to hit targets from longer distances. Smaller targets like reapers would die instantly from a single shot, but they are small and fast enough to evade such war machines. In short, the Odin and its little brother, the Thor, are designed for long-ranged combat with their cannons. Thus, it is highly recommended that you bring in support when fielding these armoured siege walkers."
And with that, the screen continues.
Unfettered by the damage it took to its legs, the Odin pushed onwards and began to wreak havoc and right as the timer reached 1 minute and 30 seconds, Matt appeared on screen to give a report. "An alert's gone out! It won't be long before they shut me out of their system."
Raynor's second in command warned, but Tychus didn't like the urgent report. "Don't rush me, kid. Can't a man take some pleasure in his work?" The convict asked as the Odin brought its T-800 cannons down on a nearby barracks like a club and created a massive dent before blasting it point blank into smithereens of scrap metal.
Tychus was getting creative with his kills and judging from his enthusiastic laughter from within the Odin as he continued making things explode. It was now apparent to all that Tychus was having the time of his life, causing chaos.
"He's running out of time." Ruby points out before Weiss interjects.
"That is true, but he has scrapped the northeastern base already. I think he can eliminate most of the threats from at least two bases. That alone should make uploading Mengsk's war crimes to each of the three broadcast towers easier."
"But I doubt the Dominion would take it lying down, and they will likely launch a counterattack soon." Blake added in as nods of agreement went around.
Tychus's rampage of the eastern base went on for another minute, and he was almost cleared of hostiles when Matt gave another warning once the timer struck 30 seconds. "We're almost out of time!" He yelled out before Tychus gave his boast.
"So are these guys! Heh - don't sweat it." And like what he had just said, Tychus crushed the remaining defenders in the eastern base as he ordered the Odin to stomp back close to the landing zone when he came across a small Dominion base that had minerals available and with what few seconds left, Tychus had the Odin used its barrage on the Dominion command centre and reduced it to scrap while SCVs can be seen scrambling away for their lives.
And once the surprise attack timer had reached zero, and with the destruction of the Dominion command centre, Tychus had the Odin lumber its way back to Raynor's base as Matt appeared on screen to explain.
"Well, there goes the surprise attack," Qrow muttered. "And for sure, they will retaliate, assuming they could recover from Tychus destroying two bases at this point. They weren't kidding when this thing could take on armies by itself."
"I concur. From what I can tell, the only way to take the Odin down is with capital ships like the battlecruiser since its anti-air capabilities are worse and only suited for small flyers like the Vikings or Banshee." Ozpin explained his observation right as the champion of Argus spoke.
"This explains why he ignored the western base and went straight for the northeastern base. They had anti-armour weapons like siege tanks and diamondbacks, which could threaten the Odin if there were enough of them." Pyrrha then received a thumbs up from her partner Jaune who took over.
"Yeah, in a way, that's what I would have done in Tychus's place. I would hit the northeastern base first, then the eastern base, and leave the western base for later." Jaune rubs his chin. "But since they're in the heart of the Dominion, they can expect more battlecruisers to show up beside the one already above the western base."
The leader of JNPR concludes as small smiles can be seen on Ozpin and Glynda's faces. The same can be said for his friends, and even those from Altas appreciate his strategic thinking. In a way, he's part of why JNPR won against team RWBY in that giant robot game they played a while back. However, he didn't expect Nora to rush and spam nukes while he and Pyrrha coordinated the front line, with Ren covering the skies.
They still won, but he had initially ordered her to build some experimental tier units since they're far cheaper and are called game-enders.
The screen then showed the remains of the eastern Dominion base with the camera squarely focused on the UNN network broadcast towers. "The Dominion's switched to a secure channel. I can't track their positions anymore. But I have gained access to the UNN network. We'll need troops to stay close to one of the broadcast towers long enough to get our message out." Matt explained before he paused for a moment.
"For our broadcast to reach all of Dominion space we'll need to control each broadcast tower long enough to upload the data. Any unit type can maintain control." Matt explained.
"Huh, so they're uploading it wirelessly? Then again, Matt has gained access to the UNN network somehow." Ilia muttered curiously as everyone else gave shrugs.
"I doubt they will leave it undefended for long. Or perhaps a counterattack to reclaim it?" Kali offers her thoughts as Summer adds in.
"Likely, I presume. But what they send to retake the Network is a different story." And with that, the screen continues.
"You can bet Mengsk'll have something to say about that. Let's get moving." Raynor orders as the Odin can be seen stomping into the base before three SCVs left the mineral fields to patch up the damage on the Odin. At the same time, another left to go and work on another automated refinery.
"Our base is up and running. I'm transferring control of it to you now, sir." Matt added in as Raynor's base went into full gear as the factory began pumping out units, as the barracks started working on a tech-reactor addon. And to drive in that the operation is in full gear, Swann's signature guitar riff could be heard before he appears on screen.
"Oh! Swann's back, and he works fast!" Ruby couldn't help but spot a grin on her face as she found his riff one of the most wonderful sounds she heard here so far.
"Got to appreciate someone who gives results fast." Weiss smirked.
"Hardware inbound. These Thors are smaller than the Odin but they handle better - and they still hit hard. Enjoy!" Raynor's chief engineer explains as the camera pans towards one of Raynor's dropships flying in with what the audience could tell is a Thor folded up into somewhat of a box. And once the dropship came to a stop and dropped its cargo above the ground.
A loud boom echoed as the ground shook upon the Thor landing on the ground, and once it did, it began to unfold itself. As Swann had said, the Thor looked like a smaller version of Odin but was still massive compared to anything else here. And it was this time that Tychus chose to add in.
"You know, I'm pretty sure that the Odin and Thor alone would be enough to clear the rest of the bases with no issue. Minus the battlecruiser, of course." Neptune concluded while Tamamo could be seen smirking.
"That big dog is all mine!" He grinned as SCVs continued on field repairs. At the same time, a pair of goliaths emerge out of the Factory at the same time. During that time, Raynor had also ordered a bunker to be built and a missile turret to protect the western part of the base.
In the meantime, Tychus decided to wander off west as the Thor followed right behind before the audience was rewarded with a shot of the Odin walking over the head of several marines as they ran to the side in an attempt not to get crushed beneath it. It really puts into scale how massive the Odin is in first-person view.
But it appears that the amount of damage the Dominion took from Tychus's rampage wasn't enough to deter them, for seconds later, a small fleet of Vikings and banshees flew in and began their assault.
"Interesting… it appears by not taking out the western base, Mr Raynor would now have to deal with air assaults…" Ozpin concludes before Penny adds in.
"And by that logic, had Tychus not taken out the northeastern base, they would have to deal with mechanised waves, and the same could be said with the eastern base with anti-personnel units!"
"Well, good thing he destroyed or crippled at least two bases." Ilia mutters as nods go around.
Though several were taken out when both the Odin and Thor launched their missile barrage at the oncoming attackers, with a handful of them crashing onto the ground and one, unfortunately, slamming onto the side of a building, yet despite the initial casualties, It did not deter the Dominion as Viking began landing onto the ground while Banshees started their bombing runs.
"I hope there was no one in that building when it crashed…" Ruby could only hope though the memory of what RGQC had said appeared in her mind of how there will always be collateral in war, you can minimise collateral damage dealt.
"We could only hope, thankfully, none of the civilians we saw were hurt during the initial surprise attack, and Tychus has shown to watch his step with them around." Summer softly hums as her daughter nods her head earnestly.
Backlash rockets began raining down and pummelling war machines below as explosions rock all over the Odin and Thor while others began pounding the local defences. Thankfully, Raynor's marines managed to find cover within the recently built bunker. The battle got even messier when it was clear to the audience that the Dominion forces were not retreating despite taking heavy casualties.
"Wait," Winter narrows her eyes. "Why are they not retreating? Better question, why are they suicidally attacking Mr Raynor's base?" The specialist pointed out right before Tamamo explained.
"The Dominion has never been too concerned with their troops' lives, especially regarding failure. In their eyes, why bother keeping a soldier who failed and lost a War machine anyways? And besides, the Raiders are on Korhal, where the most loyal of the Military lies. Let's be glad Mengsk chose not to send his Royal Guards after them yet."
Tamamo opened her fan and covered her mouth as a thought went through everyone's head before the screen continued. "Royal Guards?"
As expected, when you go up against an experimental War machine and its little brother supported by local defences, they were dealt with relatively quickly as wreckages and scrap metal remained of the Dominion assault. And with their destruction, the Odin and Thor slowly moved north until they came across another small dominion base with help from numerous goliaths built to support them. They quickly wiped it clean of guards and claimed it as an expansion.
And in addition, another of Mengsk's recordings was heard from numerous nearby speakers. "Some might baulk at the cost of such a magnificent machine, but I say to you - what price do you put on your loved ones' security?"
"Protect them or protect you instead?" Robyn couldn't help but give a snarky remark as that recording sounded similar to what she would hear from other politicians in Atlas would say. And she dislikes them.
The camera then pans away from the Odin and towards a squad of Raynor's marines and medics, and marauders heading far southeast, much to everyone's confusion.
"Why are they heading down there?" Sun wondered out as Tamamo had her signature :3 face before pointing her finger at the screen.
"The hell the boss wanted us down here?" One of the marines asked before a medic behind spoke.
"The Commander detected a science facility not far from here and wants us to investigate it."
"Investigate a nerd centre really? While that Odin and Thor had all the fun blowing shit up? Why the hell does the commander want us to check it out?" The marine wondered again before he got punched in the shoulder by his fellow marine.
"Just shut it and don't ask questions, will ya? We're just there to see if we can take some classified documents or something."
"Really now?" One of the marauders with an extensive paint job on his suit turned his head curiously.
"Yeah, and we're there boys!" The marine in front of the group yells out as the science facility can be seen within reach before they all begin preparing to breach in.
"I wonder what hidden secrets we'll find in there?" Emerald wonders out before Cinder purrs.
"I feel it will benefit them if it is here in Korhal. But…" She then narrows her eyes. There are no guards here? Do they not see the need for them here?"
"Perhaps they got cocky and assumed no one would try to break in?" Mercury threw his hat into the conversation.
"Could be…" Cinder mutters. Yet unknown to everyone, Tamamo had a sly grin behind her fan. Oh, how everyone here will be in for a terrible surprise once it is revealed what those classified documents hold. And Franky, she can't wait to see their faces when the truth is revealed. Though it is unlikely she would have the opportunity to see their faces, it will be entertaining to see them.
With the plan to break in, everyone got into their positions right before one of the marines pulled out what looked like a breaching charge and placed it on the facilities' door. And upon placement, it began beeping for eight seconds before it detonated with an explosion as every single one of Raynor's men charged in.
"Doors open! Go! Go! Go!" What could be the leader of this squared yells out before he joins them last into the facility? And with those men breaching into the science facility, the camera pulled away from it and flew over the battlefield to show that he had claimed the minor bases and had SCVs and MULEs mining minerals.
"It appears he has been busy claiming those expansion sites." Ozpin observed before his friend Ironwood nodded his head.
"Yes, it only makes sense to secure those resources as fast as he can to build up an army. And with the Odin and Thor at his side, he should have relative ease taking out any opposition that tries to stop him.
It then moved towards Raynor's base as numerous factories could be seen churning out mechanical units, and pilots and personnel could be seen running around. The main army was also there and had grown much bigger than before.
For instance, there is the presence of another Thor on the field and a decently large group of goliaths, and even a couple of siege tanks are now present on the field. Though compared to them, they look like toys compared to the Thor and Odin, which towers over them by a massive margin.
To everyone, it appears that Raynor's going for a primarily mech-based army from the looks of things.
"Whoa, where did that other Thor come from? How did they build them that fast?" Yang could only wonder vocally as Tamamo smirked without saying a word.
"They did take a while to build it though." Blake points out which makes sense. Compared to the rest of Raynor's men on the field, the Thor was one of the few units that took a noticeable amount of time to make. However, it must have cost a ton to make that war machine.
(Which it did, btw, but I've forgotten the actual cost of Minerals and gas, but I remember they were in the thousands to produce one Thor. Expensive buggers, the Thors were, but worth it by the time they got onto the field.)
With now a substantial number of forces with a large group of goliaths for anti-air purposes, Raynor's men pushed west but were quickly intercepted by that battlecruiser that made Tychus avoid the western base entirely right as laser batteries rained down upon while those that can shoot air fired back.
"Oh, man. This is going to make things harder…" Jaune winced upon witnessing the numerous goliaths Raynor had built earlier going down or rendered incapacitated by the raining projectiles from the battlecruiser.
"Yes, that's the case." Ren muttered.
Even the Odin and Thor were somewhat struggling to do decent damage to it right before the Dominion battlecruiser began charging up its Yamato cannon, much to everyone's dread from how powerful a single shot of it can do.
"Oh fuck. RUN!" the several marines, marauders, and medics that were there to suppose the mech army panicked and began retreating, not that any of them could be blamed. And so did everyone else that could before the battle cruiser fired its Yamato cannon and obliterated a considerable chunk of Raynor's forces. The Odin and Thors were fine. Everyone else, not so much.
There are no bodies or scrap-metal left. Just a large-sized smoking crater in the middle of the streets.
Everyone was shocked for various reasons. Some were stunned by the power of the Yamato cannon unleashed on something that couldn't handle its power and left nothing but death. Others were more concerned that the ship's captain was permitted to fire it in the middle of a bloody CITY! Who knows how many collateral lives that projectile could have caused had it hit one of the skyscrapers!
"What the fuck!" Torchwick could only cry out in shock to see at least twenty or more Goliaths and other units disappearing in a blast is a horrifying image to see before your eyes. And even he began to understand how dangerous many of these weapons are. They can potentially level entire blocks or likely entire cities in a single shot.
"Bloody hell…" Even Adam was stunned at the sheer carelessness here. Yes, he has killed people, but even he would not order such a weapon in a place with hundreds or thousands of civilians nearby. Though Tamamo had an idea of what was going on in the bull Faunuses head and simply shook her head.
The only reason he still gives a damn about collateral is that he hasn't gone off the deep end yet. But for everyone's sake, she will watch him closely. If he tries anything funny, she'll be one of the first to react and stop him.
"At least their deaths were painless…" Ozpin sombrely noted.
But even with the morale of Raynor's men about to shatter upon taking a shocking number of casualties in a single shot from the battlecruiser, they were able to make it retreat when various explosions began erupting all over the ship's underbelly. Even more, those explosions shut down many of the laser batteries firing upon them.
And in a desperate attempt to retreat from the fight, the Dominion battlecruiser performed a warp jump away and to somewhere on Korhal. Nevertheless, the skirmish was done with heavy casualties. Medics rushed to assist and find the injured and wounded while some SCVs began repairing any surviving mechanical units.
But the pain from the loss was clear to the survivors, and they knew what they were signing up for, but to see so many of their friends and colleagues snuffed out by a single shot was still a painful thing to go through. Nevertheless, with oncoming reinforcements, they pushed onward towards the western base.
"That is rough… Usually, there's something left for identification to return to their families for a funeral, but I doubt anything can be found after that…" Penny sombrely points out as she gets silent nods in return. And to think there are worse things in this galaxy.
Upon reaching the western base, Raynor's men tore their way through and destroyed anything and anyone that happened to get in their way. Both the Odin and its Thor little brothers, began tearing apart anything and everything that happened to be in their way. Even the numerous star ports churning out Vikings or Banshees were rapidly taken down by sheer swarms of missiles unleashed by the siege walkers present.
And in a few minutes, Raynor's men had wiped the western base clean of any Dominion forces as marines can be seen breaking into the UNN broadcast towers. And once they did, a small Hud appeared on the top right of the screen as it displayed.
Upload Progress.
Broadcast Tower 1 0%
Broadcast Tower 2 0%
Broadcast Tower 3 0%
And upon entry into the Broadcast tower, Broadcast Tower 1 began to tick up quickly at around three percent per second. Though, as expected, the Dominion wouldn't let this upload happen uncontested.
"Security breach at one of the towers. Strike team Alpha, engage! Stop them!" General Warfield appeared on screen and began ordering the counterattack right as the camera pans to show numerous dominion reapers and hellions moving in large squads to stop them.
"Incoming!" Ruby couldn't help herself but yell though she and everyone noticed something. Those guys specialised in anti-light from what they remember RGQC and QAI telling them. And most of Raynor's current army is mechanised with the few light-armoured guys inside the uploading broadcast towers.
Yeah, they're not going to have a good day.
And that's what happened. One of the Thors brought its back cannons to bear and instantly wiped them out with a barrage of its 250mm Cannons. Though few survived, they were quickly wiped out by Raynor's goliaths' station alongside the Odin and Thors.
"They are uploading this transmission rather fast, don't you think?" Tai mumbled before Raven shook her head.
"Knowing how advanced humanity is in this world, I wouldn't be surprised if their transmission tech is way ahead than ours. That and Matt does have access to the UNN network. He must have made it a breeze to upload their message."
"Fair point." Summer hum right as the uploading reaches fifty percent.
It was then that another Dominion counterattack came from the north in the form of a mechanised squad consisting of siege tanks and diamondbacks. The only time the Raiders knew what was happening was when several explosions rang around them right as a few slammed onto the Odin and Thors. But going up against three siege walkers was a terrible mistake, as they were taken out in a single shot.
It really puts into perspective how dangerous and powerful these siege walkers were. But even then, there were casualties among the group.
Nevertheless, the second counterattack was fought off as Raynor had brought siege tanks to help them secure the broadcast towers.
"Oh, look Renny! Raynor bought Siege tanks!" The giddy ginger says it all with a smile on her face. Oh, how she loves the sound they make when they fire. As for Ren, he simply gave his partner a side glance before acknowledging her.
"Yes, Nora, those should help them defend the uploading process."
"Big boom!"
"Yes."
And by the time the transmission for the first upload had reached eighty percent, the Dominion launched one final assault on the Raiders in a desperate attempt to stop them, but with the presence of ten newly arrived siege tanks, their counter-attack was quickly repelled as the upload completed.
"First transmission uploaded...Even Mengsk won't be able to wriggle out of this one." Raynor had a grin on his face, and a beat later, Adjutant could be heard in the background giving an alert.
"Incoming Transmission."
"There's only one man arrogant enough to think he can get away with this - Raynor!" Mengsk himself appeared on screen upon guessing who are the perpetrators responsible before Raynor amusedly retorted.
"Hah. Just for once Arcturus, this really is all about you. I hope you enjoy our show." The rebel leader confirms Mengsk's suspicions while mocking him at the same time. This immediately earned him a reply from the emperor himself.
"I knew it. Warfield! Get your men down there. I want Raynor's head, you understand!? Him and all his terrorist friends!"
"Yeah! And they got a very special present coming up for you!" Sun couldn't help but jeer with a grin as many others joined in on the taunting, even though this was just a recording. However, the adults were silent about it. Now that Mengsk's aware of Raynor's actions, there is no doubt that the Dominion will bring everything to bear on the rebels.
And as if proving a point, the camera pans away from the first broadcast tower and back to the Raider's base to show it under assault from numerous directions by the Dominion. Bullets, rockets and all sorts of projectiles were shot at each other though the Raiders were holding somewhat.
Even so, those much more observant would notice that Raynor's base wasn't well defended as it should be, for he had brought most of his resources to secure the broadcast towers at the cost of base defences. Though another Thor was assisting the defences, and it targeted the siege tanks bombarding the base, but even that wasn't enough.
(Yup, I underestimated the AI on Brutal and Real-scale combined and had forgotten to improve my base defences. That and I had taken the siege tanks protecting it to help the Odin. It becomes even messier when the game throws more guys at you than the base game. Much to my surprise. And I did go nuts with missile turrets because of the potential of a battlecruiser showing up on my doorstep.)
At the same time, the skies were thick as Dominion and Raider's aircraft fought in dogfights while the missile turrets on the ground slowly but steadily cleared the skies.
"I can confirm for sure that the Dominion is no longer holding back." Penny came to the apparent conclusion while Mercury snarked.
"What gave it away?"
"Everything." Blake deadpanned.
"I hope the civilians were at least evacuated from the area." Ruby could only voice her concern and wince when a Viking crashed into the side of one of these skyscrapers. She can never get used to seeing so many deaths.
Though it looked like Raynor's base was about to be overrun as his men were slowly getting pushed back deeper into the base, reinforcements came in the form of an Odin bombardment as now Raynor had retaken the initiative and began pushing the Dominion attack out of his base with the assistance of his army. Though even more lives were lost, the Dominion were repelled for the time being because the Odin and Thors are scary things to go against.
"At least he managed to regain control of the situation…" Summer mutter with a frown as bodies of the dead litter the base. The fact that the Dominion went straight for Raynor's base with apparent disregard for collateral and seemed to have a policy of shooting everyone regardless of threat is a terrible thing to witness.
With the main threat done and the realisation that they had to capture the remaining two broadcast towers quickly, Raynor ordered his raiders through the comms to head straight for the northeast tower. And they did it with haste while SCVs could be seen repairing the base while medics were seen tending to the wounded or collecting the dead.
It was that a marine appeared on the screen. "Commander, we found some classified documents in that science facility you asked us to search through." The marine said before Raynor appeared on the screen.
"Wonderful, bring it back to the command Centre. We'll look through it later."
'Finally, some good news after that mess." Illa felt some relief that something good had come out after a bloodbath in the middle of Raynor's base. Now if only there were more good news besides the losses taken in this skirmish.
With that done, the camera began to follow the Odin the Raiders right as another of Mengsk's recorded speeches could be heard in the background. "This mighty steel giant stands as a testimony to the skill and determination of our Dominion engineers and scientists!"
Though it appears that even Tychus was getting annoyed at the emperor's bravado as he had the Odin purposely step on the announcer while still on their way to the broadcast tower in what used to be the Northeastern base, much to some of the audience's amusement.
Nevertheless, they watch on as Raynor's men had finally reached the northeastern broadcast tower and with their siege tanks set up, they begin the uploading.
"Alright, I think things will go smoothly with all those tanks set up." Torchwick mumbled
"You think they will attack his base again?" Neo then asked before the criminal shrugged.
"Who knows? All I know is that Jimmy here won't make the same mistake and leave his base lightly defended while the rest of his army is busy."
"They're attacking a tower. Strike team Bravo, take them out!" Warfield appears on screen and orders as the camera pans to show numerous medivacs flying in, despite the innumerable missiles coming straight for them. This counterattack is much larger than the previous ones in the first broadcast towers.
Reapers suddenly appeared behind buildings and began swarming in from all directions while others were dropped onto the battlefield from the medivacs. And to make it even more evident that Warfield was preparing this for a while, a squad of Vikings swooped in before they changed into their assault mode and began firing.
"Warfield must have expected them to move to the next broadcast tower. It concerns what he would send in the final broadcast tower." Ozpin's eyes narrowed as Raynor's men fought back with the same ferocity the Dominion were displaying, and as the Dominion threw more bullets at Raynor and his men, more reinforcements came in goliaths. Even a science vessel showed up to provide healing and repairs.
Broadcast Tower 1 Upload Complete
Broadcast Tower 2 Upload Complete
Broadcast Tower 3 0%
And thanks to the assistance of a science vessel high in the skies keeping every single one of Raynor's men alive and without a scratch, they were able to hold the Dominion off and successfully uploaded Mengsk's secret to the second broadcast tower, as Raynor describes it. "We're almost done transmitting Mengsk's dirty little secret to the Dominion."
"Yeah! Just one more to go!" Ruby cheered at Raynor's progress, as everyone else agreed wholeheartedly. However, others were increasingly worried about what Warfield would throw next since his counter-offensives against Raynor's men were failing. It wouldn't be far-fetched if he would result in throwing everything at his disposal to stop them from uploading the final broadcast tower.
"Oh, how right their fears are." Tamamo smirked once she had read the facial expressions of some of the audience.
And with that, all of Raynor's raiders packed up and headed straight for the last broadcast tower with reinforcements joining them, unaware of Warfield's plan to make their lives hell.
(I mean, holy fuck, it was insane!)
Like before, Raynor had his men dig down as Goliaths patrol around while the Odin and its Thor brothers stood still and towered over everything. Marines, marauders and medics can be seen stationing themselves just outside the broadcast tower before, as they had done to the previous two towers, they broke in, and the final upload began ticking.
"Strike team Charlie, get to that tower! Bring down those rebels!" And with that, Warfield sprung his assault. Vikings and banshees in squads of ten came in ever-increasing waves from the air while Dominion infantry and mechanised forces moved in from the flanks.
"Whoa! That General's throwing everything he had. What the hell?!" Neptune could only voice his shock, as did the others, as the battle lines clashed.
"I predicted it!" Penny was next to yell her thoughts out. "It is only logical for the General to prepare a final assault to stop Raynor's plans and do everything in his power to stop raiders from accomplishing their goals!"
"I hope they could hold them off?" Ruby mutters as losses can be seen rising on both sides as the upload continues. "I mean, there's so many of them."
"They can, I believe, my dear." Summer immediately assures her daughter.
As the carnage continues, Raynor's raiders do everything they can to stem the tide of Dominion forces flooding in like a tide of red. "Watch out! Sniper!" One of Raynor's marines cried out when his fellow marine had a bullet going through his head while goliaths, Thors and the Odin fired upon everything in the ground and skies. It was a massacre, and even one of Raynor's Thors came down when its cockpit blew up in a firefly explosion when a Viking crashed into it.
Even worse, it appeared that Warfield wasn't done yet when two fucking battlecruisers warped in and began unleashing their batteries onto Raynor's men below. And witnessing two battlecruisers suddenly appearing out of thin air made the audience gasp in horror.
Raynor's men struggled to take one battle cruiser out, but two with what they had?! Like hell, Warfield's playing around anymore.
"Oh, Ohm, they might not make it out." The revelation hit Glynda full force as she and Kali had their hands shot up to their mouths as they could see the will of Raynor's men slowly crumbling away from Warfield's trump card.
As for the others, what can they say? Some had predicted Warfield would go hard on the last broadcast towers, but this? "I don't think they can make it…" Weiss grimly concludes as they watch more reinforcements arrive from both sides as the bodies pile up.
As if to make the situation even more grim (HA!) for Raynor's men, the sound of not one but two Yamato cannons charging up sent a deathly cold chill up everyone's spines right as they fired their cannons simultaneously at the Odin.
"Shit!" Yang cursed out, as did Coco.
"Not good!"
"Ah, hell." Fox was next.
An explosion roared so loud that it made everyone stop firing for a moment before the dust cleared away to reveal the Odin slumping over with two massive craters. Fires engulfed the war machine, and for a moment, the Odin looked like it could still fight as it slowly pushed itself up, but that wasn't the case as it seemingly slumped down again.
It is clear to everyone that even the unyielding strength of the Terran Dominion has its limits. To drive the point that the Odin is wrecked and nonfunctional, Tychus appears on the screen. "This thing is outta juice! I gotta eject!" And with that, the convict ejected out of the Odin in the escape pod before the battle resumed.
"Well… that's not good. At least Tychus chose to flee." Sun could only mumble as the battle continued with the wreckage of the Odin still on the field, occasionally twitching as if it struggled to keep living despite the lack of a controller, which was unnerving.
(I always wonder why the Odin seemed to twitch even after it got wrecked and Tychus getting the fuck out of there… Any ideas why guys?)
But they did it despite taking heavy casualties, and they did it. With all three broadcast towers uploaded with Mengsk's war crimes, Raynor's men began covering each other as they retreated, and the audience cheered at their success.
Broadcast Tower 1 Upload Complete
Broadcast Tower 2 Upload Complete
Broadcast Tower 3 Upload Complete
"They did it!" Ruby cheers at their success, as many of her friends agree with her despite the casualties Raynor's men took to send a message.
"Yeah! Now it's time to get out of there!" Ruby's sister agrees, as does her team and JNPR.
Even more so when Raynor appears on the screen. "That's the last one! Let's see what the people will think of their beloved emperor now!" Raynor says before the camera zooms over to the now abandoned broadcast centre.
"All transmissions have been sent, Sir. Every world in the Dominion just got a 'UNN special bulletin' about Mengsk." Matt explained as the camera began cutting all over Korhal, showing the citizens of the Dominion on the streets protesting Mengsk's war crimes. There were more riots than protests as civilians clashed against local enforcement. Statues of Mengsk were defaced or vandalised as outraged citizens torched government buildings. Even Dominion bases were outright attacked by enraged citizens, much to the audience's shock.
It was absolute chaos as riots and uprisings sprung up everywhere, for this was not only happening in the Korhal but throughout the entire Dominion.
"Let's get out of here. We can enjoy the results from a nice, safe distance." Raynor then said as the screen darkened.
"Wow, things went to hell instantly, huh?" Neo gave a slight chuckle at the sight.
"Yup. Raynor got what he wanted, all right. A massive scandal focusing on the emperor of the Dominion with riots and revolts going up just about anywhere."
"Can't say Mengsk didn't deserve it because he does." Ilia couldn't help but grin. Now just imagine something like this on Jacques. Oh, how amazing that would be to witness such an occurrence, but since she can't be right here, she might as well enjoy something similar.
"Viva la revolution!" Nora yells out, much to everyone's confusion about her choice of words.
"What?" Weiss utters as Ren quickly explains.
"Nora found a history book detailing a revolution against an old and outdated regime in RGQC's old world." He explains as Tamamo grins.
"Ah, you must be referring to the French Revolution, Ren-Chan." Tamamo grins. "A revolution of the people against an absolute monarch before it was deposed and the proclamation of the first French Republic. It was. However, an extremely bloody period, as state-sanctioned violence and mass executions against those who stood against the revolution, became common. It was also during this time it was known as the Reign of Terror." Tamamo's expression dimmed as she explained the second part while everyone blinked.
"Ok… Thanks for today's fun fact, I guess." Qrow awkwardly muttered right before the screen lit up again.
Hyperion Cantina - 23:04 Shipboard Time
Those appeared on the screen before various news reports on Mengsk appeared onscreen.
"These shocking revelations…" The screen switches to another news site.
"...a veritable firestorm of anti-Mengsk sentiment…" The screen switches again to the UNN news site right as an image of Nova riding on Matt's back can be briefly seen in a millisecond. But none of the audience noticed it as Tamamo could be seen bringing her hands over her mouth and doing her best to stop herself from laughing, much to everyone's confusion.
(And yes. That's actually in the cutscene! And I will admit, I did a double-take when I first noticed it! I was like, what the hell did I just see for a second? And before some of you say I'm lying, look very carefully, and you'll see it.)
"What's so funny?" Mercury folds his arms with a raised eyebrow, yet Tamamo refuses to say anything except extend her finger to the screen and a cat smile on her lips.
"I'm not explaining it."
"... the Emperor held a news conference earlier today." Donny explains, despite the low resolution of the viewing, the scene cuts to Mengsk's conference room as the man himself can be seen among hundreds of reporters.
"I wonder how that man will spin it away from him. He always seems capable of doing that." Ren wonders, but Jaune doesn't think that is the case here.
"I don't think so. There's no way out for him."
"You think so?" Pyrrha looks at her partner curiously right as he nods his head.
"Yeah, I do. I'm sure the media won't take this kind of scandal lying down."
At the same time, the new ticker was displaying how bad the situation had gotten for Mengsk.
- This is UNN with Kate Lockwell - Emperor Mengsk addresses Dominion - Emperor denies allegations - Zerg advance continues. Millions more dead - Emperor approval rating 14% a record low - This is UNN - Emperor Mengsk accused of inciting Zerg invasion of Tarsonis -
It was then that a reporter could be heard asking the Emperor himself. "Emperor, how do you respond to these allegations of genocide! Of using aliens to-" Only for Mengsk to cut her off as the camera zooms on his face.
"I assure you, these slanderous attacks against the throne are baseless and irresponsible!"
"Keh, you'll not getting off the hook this easily." Qrow scoffs with a smirk on his face while others watch on. It appears that even as the compiling evidence that Mengsk was responsible for the deaths of billions, the tyrant himself would deflect it away from him.
"Yeah, you'll fall off a cliff buddy! Might as well admit that you're a monster!" Neptune yells next.
The camera then cuts to show Kate standing up with a raised hand as she asks, "Sir, do you still stand by the sentiment that selfless devotion to the people is the basis of your rule?"
The camera then cuts back to Mengsk, who affirms that he stood by the people like the liar he is. "Well, of course! I was called upon to serve the greater interest of humanity! Personal power was never my goal!"
Yet it appears that Kate had tricked the Emperor into contradicting himself. "Then how would you characterize this statement?" Kate holds up a device in her left hand, triggering the adjutant's recording and raising it for the whole room to hear. And as it plays, Mengsk straightens up, his face tightening and eyes flicking back and forth across the crowd, realising that he fucked up and can't spin this away from him.
"...I will not be stopped. Not by you or the Confederates or the Protoss or anyone! I will rule this sector or see it burnt to ashes around me..."
"Got Em!" Yang began cackling like a maniac as did many others with cathartic glee. For now, it appears that Raynor has now got Mengsk where it hurts.
"This is surprisingly satisfying." The headmaster of Beacon had to admit, as did his fellow friend from Atlas.
"I must agree as well. This is a welcome change of pace." Ironwood admits with a smile on his face.
Once the recording was done, gasps of shock could be heard in the conference room as many reporters began taking photos of the Emperor. With no way out of this, Mengsk gets pissed and points at everyone in the conference room. "I... I won't STAND for this! You jackals think you can come in here and question ME?! This interview is OVER!"
And with that, Mengsk stalks off stage before the scene switches to Hyperion's cantina, where Raynor, turning off the small screen at the right of the bar, and Horner have just seen the news of their success. "Y'know, I love seeing him squirm, but the Dominion's just going to spin this like they do everything else." Raynor says as he picks up his glass.
"Probably, but I doubt after that, at least." Robyn says before everyone agrees with her, including Adam, who can't believe that he and the humans here have the same outlook on Mengsk and his crimes.
The scene continues as Matt's hand nudges aside the numerous alcohol bottles in the way to reach the back of the chest-height shelf. "Not this time. Mengsk used the media as a weapon for years, now we've turned it against him." Matt holds out his hand to his commander as the camera pans down to reveal a cigar he took.
"One broadcast and it won us a bigger victory than a hundred battles." Raynor's second explained before he chomped down on his cigar right before sliding back over the bar top and onto a stool, and once he did, Matt leaned back on the bar and flicked open a lighter to light it.
"That sure did." Coco smirked. This was a significant blow to Mengsk and is truly a bigger victory against tranny.
"I wonder what else could be done against Mengsk, though I doubt they can, for the Zerg still needs to be dealt with first." Raven points out. This is true. The victories here mean nothing if everyone's dead from the Zerg.
"I guess you're right. Well, it's what we started this revolution for in the first place…" The camera cuts to Raynor, who runs his cigar under his nose as if he's sniffing it. "We've got a long way to go, but maybe we started something here." Raynor mutters before looking at his second, who exhales a puff of smoke.
"Hearts and minds man, just like you always said." Matt said before Raynor turned his back to the bar to lean against it lazily.
"Hearts and minds…" Ozpin hummed. "To appeal to supporters through emotional or intellectual appeals. Fitting, I must say, by showing the truth that their leader is corrupted and responsible for the deaths of billions."
"I wonder if such a tactic could be used to promote Faunus equality…" Ilia couldn't help but wonder. Though, from what she heard from her crush's alternative daughter, it is possible and has been done by her parents. Though much more underhanded tactics were used as well.
"Don't worry, Ilia. I'm sure it can be done! We all accept you for who you are!" Ruby gave an earnest smile, which made the chameleon Faunus smile back. However, Adam noticed Ilia's wavering loyalty to the Fang as a frown grew behind his mask but chose to say nothing.
The camera then zooms in on Raynor's face. "Y'know Matt, someday you're going to wind up leading this bunch of misfits." Though it appears that Matt denies it as he reaches out and flicks open the lighter for his commander.
"Oh, no... that's what I keep you around for...sir." With a smile on his face, Raynor lit his cigar before both men shared a good-natured chuckle before the screen darkened.
Seeing the scene before them gave smiles on everyone's faces. To see two friends enjoying their victory and having a good time after their tense confrontation a few missions back. "How sweet to see both men so relaxed." Summer couldn't help but giggle, as did Kali, who agreed wholeheartedly.
"That we can agree on."
With the show over, the theatre lights came back on as Tamamo stood up before pulling her table from her breast. "Mikon! The Blokkat threat is being repelled from the realms as we speak! Although master had died numerous times! How persistent these blocky cats are!" Tamamo began growling almost like a fox before sighing.
"I recommend you all take a break for now, and we can continue watching later. It appears that master will be busy much longer than intended with how ruthless these Blokkats are fighting now."
"Y-You sure these Blokkats won't come here?" Velvet softly asked as her rabbit ears sagged, though Tamamo didn't seem that worried.
"Them coming here? Absurd. Master would've stopped them if they tried. Now run along, people. I must return to my patrols, and I will see every one of you in an hour or so." And with the go, everyone left the theatre room except Tamamo, who stayed behind.
Because someone else was here the whole time, and Tamamo recognised that aura of hers.
"Koyanskaya…" Tamamo hissed out with her eyes darkened. "What are you doing here?" RGQC's servant asked right as Koyanskaya seemingly emerged from the shadows.
"I'm surprised that old wizard did not sense me with the amount of magic I was radiating off me …" The fox-like abomination servant says as her eyes are on her bloodied claws. "But I'm here because I have my reasons to be here, version one of me," Koyanskaya says before an incredibly sadistic grin grows on her lips.
"I came with a proposal for you…"
"I do not like this at all!"
"You shouldn't." Koyanskaya simply grinned as her sclera turned black. "It's my turn to have fun..."
And we are done! Fuck man! I was supposed to get it out by the tenth of August, but I got distracted with National Day and procrastination. Fuck!
Whatever, I hope you all enjoy this chapter because I was thinking of swapping this story out of my writing cycle for a while. I'm stopping this. It's just a temporary hiatus to keep things fresh in my head and prevent me from going nuts or something.
Don't worry. I will come back to it eventually. Probably at the start of the new year again, but time will tell when I'll come back to this.
Besides that, I do not have anything else to say either, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And other than that, if you like my story, follow and favourite me if you want this story! And I'll see ya in a couple of months!
RGQC out!