Chapter 12: Bloodlines
"Saurians, also known as Dinosaur Faunus, are a peculiar oddity amongst the races of man despite their prevalence since the dawn of humanity itself. Genetic research suggests that they do indeed come from a common ancestor as they typical Faunus, but also that their branch split off from their origins much earlier in the evolutionary process.
A low conception rate and history of conflict have made this particular species of Faunus a rarity in the modern day, a minority among minorities if you will. The elder members of the Saurian society established in Eastern Menagerie's desert fervently grasp onto the roots of their culture even in the face of discrimination, oppression, and the endless march of time that threatens to wipe them away.
In terms of interbreeding, Saurians seem to follow the status quo in that their features are recessive, and become weaker in comparison to the parent's when they are the result of offspring between a Saurian and non-Saurian Faunus, if in fact the Saurian features do manifest instead of the non-Saurian parent's features. This trend does follow certain consistencies in breeding between different types of Faunus.
The true oddity in Saurian genetics comes in the form of Human-Saurian interbreeding. Instead of the child inheriting the dominant traits of their Faunus parent outright, and thus being born as a Faunus themselves, Saurian features actually appear to meld with Human features and create a genuine hybrid. Unfortunately, cases of such a child are extraordinarily rare due to the seemingly even smaller chance of conception between a Human and a Saurian than between Faunus. It is likely that the resulting offspring would also be infertile.
The fact that, as recently as 10 years ago, such children would have been deemed as 'Demon Spawn' and be forcefully terminated in many regions of the world certainly does not aid in the efforts of researchers. Their peculiar aversion to the radiation produced by natural sunlight did little to dissuade the demonic perception of them in history."
-Excerpt from "Tooth & Nail, Claw & Scale", a book published in the decade following the Great War
"On this day, ten years ago, one of the most vicious armed revolutions in Remnant's history took place above this very crater."
Waking up to the noise of her radio wasn't the most pleasant experience, especially since it blasted static like it was no tomorrow if a blizzard decided to sweep by. Wouldn't be as much of a problem if the volume control knob worked, but nobody here had the time to spend fixing a random radio when it worked perfectly fine besides the one feature.
Which begged the question, who turned it on?
"The leader, calling himself the return of the Great War's Red Comet, was determined to overthrow Atlas' sister city, Axis, and attempted to make the flying city fall. His violent revolution was stopped by-"
Slamming a hand on the power button and opening her eyes, she heard the soft croak of a crow and the tapping of talons on wood.
"You have got to be kidding," She muttered, right as a small spherical device on the floor of her room turned on.
"Cinder-Chan! Cinder-Chan! Bird inside!" It cried out in a cutesy voice, sections of the sphere unfolding to resemble ears… or perhaps wings? She never quite figured that out. The noise caused the crow to look directly at the device, then slowly back to Cinder with something resembling amusement in its eyes.
"Yes, Haro! I know there's a bird in here! Go into sleep mode for another hour!" She called out, running a hand through her unkempt hair and wincing. Damn, she was too tired to let it dry out before going to bed last night. Sighing, she looked right at the crow and held up a scorching hot hand. "Tell anyone about this, and I will cook you, Qrow."
Stepping into her room's bathroom, she grabbed her hairbrush and began working through her hair as she heard the sound of shoes meeting the floor followed by the sigh of a grown man.
"You know, I expected Ozpin to send Jin or Kamui here instead of you, considering that this is outside your expertise," she said, returning to her room and locking eyes with Qrow as her brush tugged on a particularly bad knot in her hair.
"Well, things came up," was Qrow's simple reply. His tone was clipped as he attempted to get straight to business. "What do you want?"
"Now, is that any way to treat your niece?" Cinder teased, tossing her brush aside after working through her mane.
"Raven made you what you are, my family had nothing to do with it. We aren't family," was the huntsman's cold response. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he shifted so that his cape revealed the handle of Harbinger on his back.
"Straight to business, then," Cinder replied with a slight huff, combing through her hair with her hands before finally pulling a small object out of her ebony locks. Holding it out to Qrow, she gave him a bored look. "It was surprisingly easy to retrieve this data. Of course, I had a little help from a certain someone."
"You can tell Watts to kiss my ass. I'm not dealing with him after the last time," replied Qrow, waving off Cinder before snatching the thumb drive out of her hand. "What's in this thing, anyway?"
"A little project the general has been keeping secret. By coincidence, he assigned Watts onto the project," was Cinder's reply. She was going to say more, but she would be interrupted by an alarm sounding throughout the complex. "You have got to be kidding me."
"You know the drill," Qrow told her, a smug smirk on his face. "It ain't my problem if you get caught."
Huffing, Cinder quickly slipped into a piloting suit as Qrow transformed into his bird form and flew out the door. Shoving her head into the helmet, she made sure the installed voice modulator was working before rushing out.
"Squadron of enemy mobile suits fast approaching, everyone to your battle stations!" Came a voice over the base intercoms. Tapping into her personal comms through her helmet, she ran towards the docking bay.
"What are we up against?" She asked, rushing past a group of winded new recruits. As she arrived at the docking bay, she made eye contact with her mechanic crew before jumping up into the extended hand of her red mobile suit. "Any of their new products?"
"No way to tell, they're deploying some kind of disruption, and it is interfering with our sensors."
"Then I can take them on my own," was Cinder's smug reply. Hopping into the cockpit of her mobile suit, she quickly activated her beloved customized machine.
"Fall, Sinanju! Launching in 3… 2… 1, launch!"
Feeling the g-forces force her into the seat, Cinder watched her surroundings fly by as her mobile suit was catapulted out of the base. Activating her thrusters, Cinder maneuvered to face the incoming hostiles. Silently counting the targets on her display, she counted a total of 5 enemy mobile suits. Seems like just a scouting party instead of an actual attacking force.
"Let them kneel before the Almighty as they face The Red Comet!"
Saurpodia, Eastern Coast of Menagerie
Sho Kamui was not one to take pleasure in his travels, he rarely stayed in any one place long enough to truly appreciate his surroundings, but he always felt somewhat content to travel to his homeland if only to see his mother.
Unfortunately, word travels fast between White Fang operatives when a prince of the Saurians, no matter if he's a half-blood, makes a trip across the ocean.
"Lord Kamui!" Came a female voice that he recognized above the lapping waves and hustling workers of the docks.
"Illia," he acknowledges, the chameleon Faunus approaching from where she was waiting for him on the pier, "I suppose that I have the Albain brothers to thank for your escort?"
The underlying statement was obvious: "I know that you are here to spy on me."
It had been quite some time since the Saurians had actively taken part in White Fang activities, but they certainly never banned said activity within their territory itself, especially when the White Fang willingly provided a labor source that could tolerate the sunlight longer than the Saurians themselves.
"Of course, and it is an honor to be assigned to you, especially for a mere operative like me."
Of course, they had history with each other. Kamui being a prince of Eastern Menagerie inevitably made him grow somewhat familiar with White Fang members who frequented the political landscape. This would include one Ghira Belladonna when the man was High Leader, and still continues to this day with his role as Chieftain of Kuo Kuana. Inevitably, this meant that he was acquainted with one Blake Belladonna, Kamui and Illia's mutual connection.
"You are a loyal member of the White Fang, and have a previous connection to me. It was a wise decision on their part to send you." With that, Kamui would begin making his way off of the pier. "I presume that my brother is aware of my arrival?"
"Of course! He's waiting for you."
As they walked, Kamui would watch their surroundings with a keen eye. Saurian workers toiled with extra clothing to protect them from the unforgiving sun, while other types of Faunus went light on clothing to combat the heat. One more thing to separate the Saurians from their kin. He also spotted a couple of likely spies, discreetly watching Kamui as he progressed towards the Emperor's residence. There was no doubt that Illia herself likely knew about these individuals.
"If I may ask, why is it that you have decided to return home?" The young woman would ask, eyes forward and watchful as she escorted him.
"I simply wished to spend some time with my mother. I'll be here for a week or so."
"Well, I certainly hope that she is doing well."
They continued in silence, growing closer to the palace. People rarely used personal vehicles on Menagerie, the distribution of the machines largely favoring use for supply and cargo transportation due to the limited space. Thus, many preferred to walk, roads constructed with pedestrians in mind allowing for convenient travel by foot.
Upon arriving at the palace gates, they would be intercepted by guards that instantly recognized the crest upon Kamui's forehead. With a bow and welcome, the half-breed prince was allowed entry with nary a pause in his stride.
The palace grounds were not particularly large, but the atmosphere and sheer presence were certainly extravagant compared to the relatively humble home of Chieftain Belladonna. The royal garden was filled with rare plants that only grew in the most dangerous parts of Menagerie's deserts, each sample having been claimed and tended to personally by Emperor Gore The First. Following Gore The First's passing, it is now servants who tend to the plants with nary a new addition to the collection, the current emperor thinking himself above such tasks.
Ilia managed to slink away from his presence at some point, leaving Kamui alone as he approached the large double doors that led to the main hall, pushing them open in a practiced motion before allowing his muscle memory to direct him to the throne room.
"So you return, Sho Kamui."
There, leisurely seated upon his throne, was Emperor Gore III. Ever the more monstrous of the half brothers, Gore III was the one who always fit in more with the rest of their kind, the one who had more support within the court solely for being a pureblood. Few outside of the palace grounds knew of Kamui's true identity as a rightful heir of the throne, a fact that both Kamui and the royal court were glad to keep under wraps from all besides the highest ranking White Fang members.
"Indeed, my lord," Kamui would respond, bowing his head and kneeling before his emperor, "you grace me with your presence."
"I presume that you are not just here on a whim? Tell me, what business do you have?" Asked Gore III, impatiently tapping his claws upon the right arm of his throne. "Rarely, if ever, do you visit to simply just visit your mother. There is something more, I feel it beneath my scales."
"You would be correct, my lord, it is unfortunate that I must address a problem that I have taken notice of."
"And what may that be?"
"It has come to my attention that there are Saurians in the service of the White Fang," Kamui would state, plain and clear. He watched Gore III's expression, noting the lack of surprise in his slitted eyes. "Of course, this would have been no issue for you… if a background check had not revealed that the individual was a citizen of your land, and a member of your guard, no less."
"So, you humans dare to accuse my court of taking part in the Fang's terrorism?" Gore III hissed, his fangs bared in indignation. The ruler was now leaning forward in his throne, glaring down at Kamui. "If that is the case, then I cannot take this accusation lightly. From whom does this bold claim come from?"
The implication of being referred to as a Human by his half brother was not lost on the half breed prince. He was not considered a Faunus by the court, and certainly not a Saurian by his sibling. Too Human for one side, too beastly for the other.
"I am afraid that it comes directly from the man known as The Jaguar."
Gore III's scales seemed to visibly lose their pallor at that, his eyes widening with a hint of fear that shot through his system. Any Faunus sufficiently knowledgeable in the White Fang knew the reputation of The Jaguar, the former White Fang Operative turned traitor who faced Gore The First in single combat and won when the ruler had decided to create a conscript army of Saurians to claim territory by force on the southern shores of Mistral.
Of course, the man formerly known as The Jaguar was none other than Jin Hayato.
"The… The Jaguar, you say?" Gore III managed to choke out. Of course, being a son of Gore The First, he knew who The Jaguar was. He certainly knew what that could mean for him if his currently covert involvement with the White Fang became public. "Surely you jest, he must be no more than an old man by now!"
"That may be so, however-" Kamui began, before being interrupted by the doors to the throne room suddenly being thrown open.
"My liege! Lord Kamui!" Cried an elderly Saurian, whom Kamaui easily recognized as Professor Han, one of the few within Saurpodia who knew of Kamui's lineage. His beard was long as always, though it was somewhat frazzled now. "I am afraid I must interrupt for an urgent matter regarding Lord Kamui's mother!"
"Tch!" Gore III sucked his teeth in annoyance, a facade of collected irritation coming over the fear that previously occupied his countenance. "Very well. I shall grant you leave for now, Kamui, but this conversation is not over. Expect to be here in Saurpodia for some time, as you are still one of my subjects despite your travels."
"Of course," was Kamui's clipped response as he stood up from his kneeling position, giving a deep bow as he took his leave. He followed close behind Professor Han, locking eyes with the bearded reptilian with an unspoken question as they walked through the halls.
"It is with relief that I report that your mother is actually in perfect health, young Kamui," Professor Han would say once they were sufficiently far away from the throne room. They were now headed into the depths of the palace, towards the spaces dedicated to science and research where a privileged few scientists were permitted to work for the good of Saurpodia.
"Doctor Jin contacted me about your mission, and I have something important to show you before they have found out about your arrival here."
The duo traveled deeper and deeper below ground, eventually coming upon a great open space that was darkened. Not even their natural night vision could make out what occupied the open space. They walked upon a catwalk, open air beneath them that echoed their footsteps loudly.
"What is it that you are trying to show me, Professor?" Kamui asked, growing impatient as they stopped in the center of the catwalk. "What is so important that you must bring me all the way here? Who is this 'They' that you referred to?"
"I do not know their true identity, only that someone once came into contact with the Emperor and gave us the means to build… this!"
With that proclamation, Professor Han would grab a remote from his belt and press a switch, activating the lights of what was now revealed to be a massive hangar bay. Blinded for a few moments, Kamui would slowly uncover his eyes as he gazed upon just what the Professor wanted to show him with awe.
Slitted pupils stared down at them, scales meeting metal in the form of a massive biomechanical being whose design was somewhat reminiscent of the Aura Robo G that Team RWBYJ had encountered in the mountains of Vale. It gazed upon them with dead eyes, its mouth covered in a massive metal apparatus that gave it a somewhat alien appearance.
"May I present to you a technological marvel developed first by the Saurians: Gettersaurus!" Professor Han proclaimed, an equal mix of pride and guilt in his voice.
"Gettersaurus?" Kamui breathed, grasping onto the railing of the catwalk to steady himself. He had heard the term "Getter" from Doctor Jin before, some distant and powerful energy source that not even he knew how to harness.
"I presume that you are aware of the idea of Getter Rays, yes? Certainly Doctor Jin would have told you about them," Professor Han began, drawing Kamui's attention away from the reptilian behemoth before him. "Unfortunately, or should I say fortunately, Gettersaurus as it is now does not have the proper equipment to handle a Getter Ray reactor, despite the name."
"I fear what Lord Gore may do with this technology, so I gladly notified Doctor Jin of it when he reached out to me prior to your arrival."
Thinking, Kamui's gaze went from Han back to the Gettersaurus. Its organic components and empty stare gave an eerie sense of foreboding.
"It is safe to assume that its creation is part of the machinations of Doctor Merlot, who also seeks to create a Getter Ray reactor for his own purposes," stated Kamui, who proceeded to cross his arms in front of himself. "You were right to fear your creation."
Opening his mouth to respond, Professor Han would suddenly grab onto the railing as they were suddenly overtaken by a massive quake that shook the entire hangar. An ear piercing metallic screeching could be heard throughout the space before the sight of a massive drill below them filled Kamui's vision, and powerful arms suddenly picked him up.
"Go, Kamui! Rectify the mistakes of an old fool who gave the enemy a weapon!" Han shouted, his elderly appearance suddenly giving way to the sheer strength he possessed even in his old age as he threw Kamui to the face of Gettersaurus.
"Professor!" Cried the young man, who could only watch as his view of the professor became nothing but a massive drill spiraling mercilessly upwards. It became clear that this was the work of Aura Liger and its pilot, an attempt to silence both him and Han.
Unfortunately for them, Kamui was no fledgling pilot. He had been considered to pilot Aura Robo, once upon a time, and he had the skills to back it up.
Climbing down onto the chest of Gettersaurus, the Faunus would manage to find the emergency release for the main hatch before clambering in as Liger made another pass. Settling into the pilot seat, Kamui did a quick scan of the controls, seeing that the setup was almost a mirror of Aura Robo's configuration.
"Alright," he muttered to himself, flipping various switches to startup whatever kind of reactor this thing used. A massive, slow heartbeat could be heard by Kamui the entire time as it emanated from the depths of Gettersaurus. "Wake up…"
He would suddenly be rocked by a hard impact, thrown onto his side as the biomechanical being he was in was knocked onto its side by Aura Liger, the screech of metal piercing his ears as it pressed its drill firmly against Gettersaurus' breast plate to slowly grind it away.
Gritting his teeth, Kamui would activate an emergency function in his scroll that would directly notify Hayato of his location. He could only hope that help would arrive in time. Slamming his fist onto the controls in frustration, all he could do was wait until the machine finished its startup sequence.
"Wake up!"
A clawed fist of pure metal would slam into the face of Aura Robo G, sending it stumbling backwards as the Gettersaurus began moving without any input from Kamui himself. The heartbeat of the biomechanical being increased in frequency as a low and powerful growl shook the cockpit around the half breed, raising the hairs on his head in fear of just what manner of creature he was inside.
Gettersaurus was awake, and it was alive.
With a muffled roar, the artificial Saurian would stomp forward and grab the enemy machine by the drill, the tool screeching as it ground against Gettersaurus' palms. The rotation of the drill was quickly brought to a complete halt by the monster's powerful grip as Aura Liger was slammed into the side of the hangar, sending a quake throughout the entire facility.
The biomechanical terror was absolutely berserk, whatever devices or programs that were meant to inhibit its violent desires were completely offline, apparently due to a lack of a proper power source powering them. According to the displays, a massive cord was currently plugged into the creature's back that provided it with the power to come online, but not actually activate. Whether the beast simply awakened due to being tossed around or something else completely, Kamui could not tell as he held on for dear life to the straps that kept him in place.
It was a wild animal, one that knew not why it was born, or where it came from, only that it must kill. A creature without a soul, just like the Grimm.
Aura Liger would level its missile pod directly to Gettersaurus' face, unleashing a series of missiles that would blind and stun the monster long enough for the pilot to slip the drill out of its grasp and fly up into the ceiling to escape the very tight close quarters combat.
"Kamui! Come in, Kamui!"
The voice of Hayato suddenly blared from Kamui's scroll, startling the young man just as the machine he was 'piloting' jumped up to attempt following behind Aura Liger through its own tunnel, though its bulky frame was much too wide.
"Doctor! I have encountered Aura Robo G here in Menagerie, it looks like Merlot has been working with Gore to create a new machine, and found out we were investigating. They have killed Professor Han, and are currently making an attempt on my life as well!"
"What are you doing right now?" Hayato would ask, seeming to take the new information in stride."You are moving sporadically, according to my tracker."
"I am currently in Merlot's newest project: Gettersaurus. I'm sure Professor Han notified you of its existence. I am currently afraid that I may have no way to exit it…"
"What do you mean by that?"
"It… It is alive, Doctor, and has gone completely berserk. From what I can tell, there is no method in the cockpit that allows me to forcibly shut it down-" Kamui would be interrupted by a sudden blow to Gettersaurus' side, Aura Liger having drilled around to a different side of the hangar and striking the monster's side as it dove into the opposite wall.
"Hurry, Doctor! I'm not sure how long I can hold out in this thing when it won't follow my orders!"
"Understood, performing an emergency sortie of the Aura Robo team post haste. I will also be contacting a friend of ours in Mistral or on patrol in the area in case they are able to reach you faster."
"Understood." Was Kamui's simple response as Aura Liger changed into Aura Poseidon, ready to go hand-to-hand with Gettersaurus with its stockier and heavyset build. The creature simply let loose a rumbling growl that quaked the cockpit as it crouched low in preparation to pounce.
Just as the pair were about to charge each other, the space was suddenly filled with red lights and blaring alarms as the source of all the quakes was finally discovered to be their fight. This was quickly becoming a much bigger problem than just Kamui's survival as he said one final statement as the combatants charged each other.
"Please hurry, Doctor."
Beacon Academy, Vale
Weiss was once again observing her teammates and Jaune as they all jumped into their respective machines, with Ruby's being at the lead as they prepared to launch for an emergency sortie. To say she felt jealous would be inaccurate, as she certainly did not envy the amount of extra training required to be inducted as a pilot, especially since her goal is to be a Huntress instead of a pilot.
That, however, did not mean that she never felt somewhat left out.
"All systems are ready for launch," she would say into the microphone in front of her following a quick scan of the screens before her. These thoughts could be saved for later, she had a job to do in the meantime.
Visuals of each pilot in their seats was displayed on the massive main screen in the control center, with Doctor Jin observing each intently. In particular, he seemed to watch Ruby.
The man consistently made her feel uneasy, and the fact that they were apparently supposed to meet him for some kind of lesson after school today only made her feel worse about him. Of course, the plan was interrupted by this emergency sortie.
"Steel-1, ready!" Ruby called out, bopping the top of her helmet to ensure that it sat right on her head.
"Steel-2, hot and ready to roll!" Yang would call out, giving a thumbs up and a wink to the camera. Blake would give an affirmative grunt, somewhat nervous to be headed Menagerie.
"Steel-3, good to go!" Jaune called out, working out a kink in his neck as he grabbed the controls.
Getting a thumbs up from a staff member and a nod from the Doctor, Weiss would quickly activate her microphone and give the order.
"Aura Robo, commencing Operation Dragon! Launch!"
I finally got this chapter out. My schedule continues to be ever inconsistent.
I decided to make this chapter focus on Kamui and the Saurians due to the fact that I never followed up on their introduction in my earlier chapters. Gettersaurus was actually initially never meant to appear in this story, but I added him in almost on a whim when I saw the opportunity. I actually didn't even remember he existed until I had gone back and reread parts of Getter Robo Arc to refresh myself on certain topics. I hope y'all enjoyed it.
Until next time!