CHAPTER 29: OPERATION IGNORANCE NO MORE

1720 Hours, November 30, 2557 (Military Calendar) / Unknown System, Planet Remnant, Continent of Sanas, Village of Watertown

Qrow was somewhat on edge.

Certainly, he'd spent the better part of weeks trailing his nieces and their newest protector/mentor figure. The man was capable, that much he could see from the way he fought. Not only that, but he did so in a brutal but efficient manner. He cared only about eliminating the threat as opposed to putting on a show.

Even the veteran huntsman knew that to a degree, he was a bit of a showman himself. It served a dual purpose. It demonstrated skill, but it also showed that he was at a level where he could afford to do so. It made his enemies know that he could afford to take all of them on and do so with relative ease. It created a sense of fear.

But the ability to kill quickly and effectively was also terrifying in its own right. It worked because the result itself spoke more than the effort or the methods. At the end of the day, there was only one winner in combat: the living and the Master Chief seemed to understand that being able to kill without hesitation was another way to create fear.

Qrow realized that he needed to tread carefully when dealing with this man. He might be reasonable, but from what he'd seen, that could change easily if he was perceived as an enemy for whatever reason, and he wasn't keen on being shot, bludgeoned, or maimed in any form. He just needed to be sure of a few things.

Which led to the two of them standing on the outskirts of the village, concealed by tree cover. To anyone passing by, they would appear to be individuals conversing in a normal if not private manner.

"You claim to be the uncle of Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long." The armored giant spoke from behind. "What proof do you have?"

In response, the Grimm killer pulled out his scroll and began to scroll through the numerous pictures that he had stored on the device. There was a surprising amount of them, although he would never admit that he was sort of the sentimental type.

Then he played a training video of Ruby and him practicing scythe movements. This particular video was taken a year after the silver-eyed girl's training had begun. Not only was the big guy watching to verify it, but Qrow found himself comparing the look on her face then to what he was seeing lately.

It was such a stark difference.

"Your questions." The man in armor kept a neutral stance. "What are they?"

Straight to the point, just what they both needed. He seemed to see something in the pictures and videos that satisfied him.

The huntsman leaned against a nearby tree. "Can I trust you with my nieces?"

The question was vague; clarification probably was necessary.

"If you're asking whether or not your nieces are safe, that's never a guarantee." The Master Chief didn't hesitate. "All our lives are in danger when we pick up a weapon. I can only promise that they will be trained to the best of my ability. Even then, luck may determine whether we win or lose. That's all I can promise."

If he were Taiyang, he would flip his shit. The father of two was worried sick for his girls and it was only at the insistence of the scythe-wielding man and his consistent communications that prevented the frazzled man from taking any rash action.

Still, Qrow felt the need to push. "That's not good enough."

"Sometimes our best will never be good enough. Plans never go perfectly. Primary, alternative, contingency, and emergency plans must always be accounted for. People get injured, people die. It's simply something we all have to accept." The gold visor stared into his red eyes. "I would think that you of all people would know, given your chosen profession."

All good points, and quite frankly, there was nothing he could ding this guy on. The man seemed to have a firm understanding of the reality of combat, which was good. Otherwise, they'd have to duke it out.

Qrow nodded. "Just needed to be sure. Sometimes, people get it stuck in their heads that they're going to save the world and not kill anyone… like Ruby once was."

"Once, but no more." The Master Chief's head turned to the village. "She has seen much, but she has come out stronger for it. With time, she will be an outstanding spartan."

Spartan… that word was only familiar to the huntsman in passing, but in this instance, it seemed to carry a much more important connotation.

Another time, the shapeshifter. "I believe it. I've been tracking your progress with her, Yang, and that Belladonna girl. Seriously, you've got some pretty good luck snagging the daughter of the Chieftan of Menagerie."

"So I've gathered. For now, she's useful," the taller man said, "But her time with us will be ending soon."

Qrow felt the need to add input. "If I were you, I'd keep her around. She's a decent fighter, she's not afraid to get her hands dirty. Plus, from the way I'm seeing things, she's obedient. It's not like she gonna turn on you."

"Only under threat of death or imprisonment." The sound of the Master Chief's voice shifted slightly. "Fear only works for so long."

The black-haired man laughed lightly. "Oh, trust me, it's more than fear guiding her. I've never seen someone grow so attached to their jailer, not like that."

"..." The golden visor stared at him, almost as if confused, and then the topic shifted. "I expected that you would put up more of a fight in regards to your nieces. You haven't even spoken of Yang."

The smaller man slicked his hair back. "I'm not worried about her. It's Ruby that's really got me worried. She's special, and I'm not saying that because she's my niece. I'm saying that because she's got a unique power that she doesn't even know about."

"And that would be what?"

"...her silver eyes."

"What about them?"

"They're more than just an eye color. They're powerful."

"...in what way?"

Qrow's eyebrow quirked up. "You're surprisingly adaptable. You don't seem the type to believe in things that are akin to fairy tales and legends."

"I've experienced many things considered impossible," the Master Chief replied, then immediately steered the conversation back, "Now what about Ruby's silver eyes?"

That was both good and suspicious.

"Silver-eyed individuals have special powers against the Grimm. Turning them to stone, stopping them dead in their tracks out of fear, destroying them with but a single glance, and that's just stretching the surface."

"How rare are silver eyes?"

Impressive that he thought of that question first.

"Enough that I can count the number of people with them on one hand." The huntsman cracked his neck. "Fact is they're rare for a reason."

The armored man processed for a moment. "...someone is hunting them."

"Right on the money."

"Who?"

It was a logical question to ask given the direction of their conversation, but that put the scythe-wielding man in a bind. Ozpin had made it clear that unless he gave the go-ahead, he was not to tell anyone about Salem. Not only would it cause fear and panic, but there would be a loss of trust in the governments and huntsman academies of the world.

Then again, this behemoth of a killer didn't seem the type to talk, both literally and figuratively. Based on what he'd seen from spying on him and the girls, Qrow could see that he was a man of few words. He spoke only when necessary and personal information was kept to a bare minimum.

He probably wouldn't tell anyone, not there was anyone to tell here that would believe it.

"Salem, the Queen of the Grimm," the red-eyed human answered.

In response, the Master Chief faced him fully. "What is Salem's ultimate goal?"

Now they were getting into the nitty-gritty details, something that definitely shouldn't be heard by anyone who didn't need to know. Frankly speaking, the inner circle would probably have his head for even considering speaking the truth to an outsider.

"How well can you keep a secret?" Qrow's eyes flickered in his peripheral vision, watching for any signs of spying or eavesdropping.

The Master Chief flexed his fingers but otherwise didn't move much. "I know enough secrets that would either kill me a hundred times or send me to prison for the rest of my natural life."

There was no sarcasm, no levity, and no double meaning of any kind. The man sounded very serious.

"Good. If anyone asks, I wasn't here and I'm denying that we're having this conversation." A hand once again slicked back black hair. "What I'm about to tell is known to only the headmasters of the huntsman academies and maybe a dozen other related individuals. It goes against hundreds of years of history, religion, and culture."

Was this a good idea?

No.

So why talk?

If it kept his nieces a little safer, it was worth it.

Halo - - - RWBY

1000 Hours, December 1, 2557 (Military Calendar)

Ruby was bored.

Belladonna was too.

Yang made three.

After some time, all the sights of Watertown were beginning to get boring. They'd explored pretty much every nook and cranny that this place had to offer. There was almost nothing left to do except patrol and do some hip-pocket training in order to keep their skills from dulling. The people were nice enough and the three female warriors minded their manners well enough.

But that was just it: all of this felt so… empty.

That wasn't to say that returning to a normal rhythm wasn't comforting. It certainly was what they all needed. They were only human… and Faunus; expression aside, they all needed some time off from killing off the White Fang. Taking time off wasn't a problem at all. It was the lack of direction that they were currently in right now.

The problem was that all of them were eager to move on. They all knew the next operation was coming. The way the Master Chief was spending less time around them lately suggested to them that he too was planning their next move, and all of them were waiting to find out where they were going, what they were doing, and when they were going to do it.

The lack of oversight on his part was strange to the three females. For the past several months, he'd been a source of oversight. Not having him within their immediate vicinity was taking a bit to get used to, not that they didn't appreciate some alone time. It was just weird.

Besides hip-pocket training, the only thing left to do was spar with each other, but the sisters fighting each other were starting to get stale, so they turned to the only other fighter in their ranks: one Blake Belladonna. It was barely a step up for the cat girl, but being a punching bag was better than simply being treated like a barely tolerated hostage; at least the former was being used purposefully.

Not only that, but they brought her alone wherever they went. They still didn't trust her fully, but neither could say they were with her completely out of obligation. Although quiet, the female faunus could be conversational when the mood struck her. Plus, she had a sort of dry wit about her that wasn't completely unwelcome. They weren't on a first-name basis, but that was fine. The boundaries had been established and for now, everyone was perfectly fine with them. There was no need to change them further for the time being.

So they decided to lounge around inside Schnee's room. Although she wasn't a problem child, with the Master Chief doing his own thing, they still needed to make sure that the girl wasn't going to do anything stupid. She might've been subdued, but they weren't taking any chances with their charge. She was valuable, after all.

Plus, it wasn't like they had a lot of lien to start. Raiding White Fang funds had given them a bit of breathing room, but not that much. The room wasn't expensive, but it would sneak up behind them eventually.

"Is… there a reason all of you are here?" The SDC heiress didn't sound pleased with all of them present.

Ruby shrugged. "No, but we're here now. It is what it is."

"We're bored and we've been there and done that in this town." Yang had her boots propped up on the nearby table. "You're the only 'unknown' left th explore."

Schnee stared at the blonde girl. "Please do not make me sound like a tourist attraction."

"I mean, I wasn't thinking about it like that." The CQC specialist crossed her arms in thought. "But now that you mention it…"

Then the white-haired girl turned to Belladonna and frowned. "Does she need to be here too?"

"The feeling is mutual, Schnee," the female faunus replied with a deadpan tone, "But we can't always get what we want, can we? Well, maybe you can, but not all of us are as fortunate."

The sisters regarded their stray cat. That was the most words she'd spoken in a good while. She'd also spoken with something more than simple acceptance and obedience that she used with the Master Chief.

Not that Schnee would let it end like this. "As if a terrorist has any right to speak platitudes. It's no wonder the Master Chief holds your leash."

And apparently, she could bite back as well.

"I know to respect my betters." Belladonna was surprisingly not baited. "But perhaps that last fight fucked up your head so much that respect is lost on you."

To which the heiress snorted. "How rich, a faunus speaks to me about respect, as if your kind has an ounce of it to begin with."

"Okay, both of you shut the fuck up." Yang stood up from her seat, an annoyed glare adorning her face. "Before I start skull fucking."

Both arguees gave each other a withering stare but didn't do anything more. Neither of them could compete with the bloodthirsty blonde. After a few seconds of staring, they turned away, not wanting to look at one another.

The brawler sat back down. "Thank you. Last thing I needed was to get reamed in the ass by the Chief because I had to deal with you two."

"You know, one or both of you can leave." Ruby decided to chime in with a reasonable solution. "There's no reason for either of you to continue acting like bitches."

"Her first." Both Belladonna and Schnee responded.

Then they narrowed their eyes at each other gain.

Yang placed her head in one hand. "Monty Oum, why'd we keep this animal alive?"

"Because she's practically royalty." The younger sister was quick to remind her fellow spartan of that fact. "You do know that, right?"

The grenadier didn't appreciate it. "I was being rhetorical, Rubes. Don't treat me like I'm a retard."

"Never know with you." Ruby shrugged. "In fact, you never know with any of us."

Schnee then interjected pointlessly. "Must you both use such crude language?"

"Must thou speak when she was not asked to," Yang countered in a mocking tone, "Seriously, who speaks like that? The way you speak screams poor, lost princess. Without us, you wouldn't survive in the real world."

The heiress huffed haughtily. "My family name carries enough weight that I would not be ignored."

"Oh yeah," Belladonna replied, not impressed, "Look at how great that family name worked out for you. It made you famous, alright, famous enough to get you kidnapped."

Schnee's hard expression seemed to only grow. "And whose fault do you think that is, scum?"

Yang moved to break up the fight, only for Ruby to stop her with a neutral expression and a shake of the head. The confusion in the blonde female's eyes lasted for a moment before she carefully settled back into her seat.

"We wouldn't have had to resort to violence if people like you didn't kick us in the teeth simply because we were born with animal traits." The female faunus's voice began to grow louder. "All we want is to be treated fairly."

The heiress scoffed. "Why should animals be given the right to be treated like civilized beings when they're incapable of overcoming their base instincts?"

A pause of silence.

"You sound just like your father," Belladonna's reply came moments later, "Only without the flowery and superfluous language."

That seemed to strike a nerve for Schnee. "Do not EVER compare me to my father. That man and I are nothing alike."

"Really? Because from where I'm standing, you'll be just like him in a few years" Belladonna crossed her arms. "You can claim virtue all you like, but you can't change what's already corrupted."

Then the white-clad girl rose from her seat, her posture tense and her expression even more so. "What right does a terrorist have to judge me!? You condemn me for speaking ill of your kind, yet you turn around and so blatantly judge me simply on my family name! Have you no shame for the crimes you have committed? Have you no shame for the lives you've ended, the families you've torn apart!?"

"You don't get to pin crimes on me and act like you're not complicit in your family's business. I've seen my brothers and sisters die against people like you!" The ninja girl rose up to meet the challenge. "If we're blaming each other, how about the Faunus that works for your company that is barely better than slaves!? How about the ones that get branded, beaten, their faunus traits mutilated by your human workers!?"

"Alright, that's it." Ruby stood up from her seat and forcefully grabbed the faunus girl. "You're coming with me."

The black-haired girl began to protest. "But-"

"Do we need to bring this up to the Master Chief?"

That instantly got the cat to shut up.

"Good riddance, filthy animal," Schnee muttered.

Yang replaced her legs back on the table. "Don't push it, ice queen. You'll answer to the Chief too."

No response on that end either.

RWBY - - - Halo

1630 Hours

The Master Chief had retreated to the pelican so that he could compile the information that he had obtained from Qrow Branwen; much of it was enlightening and it explained some of the inconsistencies regarding common knowledge on the Grimm that he had considered in the past, but had no answers for at the time.

The fact that they had a ruler was not surprising in the least. Mindless beasts did not act with restraint unless they were being properly muzzled. Even then, a whole world's worth of them would not bow down in submission unless said ruler was sufficiently able to control such a massive army. There was no way to beat them all, even with the advanced weapons and training that the spartan had and was providing to his spartans.

More importantly, Salem was after four items of interest called the relics. Supposedly, these items were artifacts of great power, the fundamental building blocks of this world. They granted incredible power to a wielder. In the wrong hands, it had the potential to devastate on a scale not seen since the Great War eighty years ago.

As for where these relics were? They were located in the heart of the four huntsman academies: Beacon, Haven, Atlas, and Shade. It was a smart move; any assailant who tried to get these relics would have to contend with hundreds of students and the numerous staff who were also huntsmen and huntresses. The blatantly obvious defenses served as a good deterrence from those who entertained the idea of stealing. Back on topic, the relics were in vaults hidden beneath each of the schools.

As for who could access them? There were four women across the world wielding magic, a separate power from aura and semblances, which predated the oldest known records of history. For proof, Branwen had revealed his ability to change into a crow, a surprise be sure, but not the most impressive thing that John had ever seen.

Once all of that was explained, the Chief wanted to ask why this man, an agent of Headmaster Ozpin, would so willingly give out information that was highly sensitive and should not be discussed with outsiders, but he held his tongue. It was not his place to question why he was being given this information. He would simply use it to his advantage.

And the first thing on his mind was the location of the maidens. They were confined within the territory of their respective kingdoms, but apparently, the Fall Maiden had been attacked and a part of her power was stolen. Basically, someone else was hunting the relics and it was a safe bet to say that this unknown was an agent of Salem because of her desire to seize the relics for her own use.

As for the assailants of the Fall Maiden? There were three, but details about them were unknown.

Basically, a scavenger hunt with virtually no details.

The spartan understood that it was a daunting task to look for the proverbial needle in the haystack, but with the extermination of the White Fang now complete, the attention of his team had to be turned elsewhere.

"You called for us, MC?"

He turned his head to see Ruby, Schnee, Belladonna, and Yang approaching. Right on schedule.

He would tell Yang and Belladonna to fix their hair later.

John pointed to a nearby crate, his makeshift sand table. "Gather around. I have information to share for a potential new mission."

"Hell yeah!" The brawler did a fist pump.

Schnee aside, the remaining three female fighters gathered around as the senior NCO began pulling up details via his TACPAD. "How familiar are all of you with the huntsman academies?"

"They're pretty much where the best of the best go to become a licensed huntsman." Ruby seemed surprised by the question, but she was the first to give input. "Far as I'm tracking, Beacon's the best one overall. It's got a record for producing some of the best currently working huntsmen and huntresses."

Yang was next. "Headmasters of the academies got a seat on the councils of their kingdoms. Some people say that's too much power for one person, but they justify it by saying it's so that huntsman at large can have a voice at the table."

"All true." The Master Chief crossed his arms and nodded his head. "However, there's something much more… sinister going on behind the scenes, and the man behind it is Headmaster Ozpin."

Quite frankly, trying to explain the details to his team was going to be difficult at best; the only thing that he could think to do was reword certain aspects of Branwen's tellings so that it made some sense to them.

Ruby leaned in, her hands on the edge of the crate. "What about Ozpin, Chief?"

"He's keeping secrets about several things that pertain to world security, two of which are relevant to us." The armored man brought up a map of the City of Vale. "Firstly, the huntsman academies are more than just institutions of learning for aspiring Grimm killers. They're the fortresses that protect items of interest."

"What kind of items?" Belladonna's question was the million-dollar one.

John took a second to consider his wording before issuing an answer. "At this time, I don't have specifics and in all honesty, my source isn't to be trusted on this subject until we verify his words with physical proof, but what I understand is that in the wrong hands, these items could topple the kingdoms entire."

Yang frowned. "So what, like WMD's?"

"Not in the traditional sense, but that's as good a label as any," the supersoldier said, "In any case, our job is to see these objects of interest are secured and that further attempts to seize them are stopped."

Ruby's eyes raised. "'Further attempt?' As in, someone's already been trying to take them by force?"

"'Attempt' is the keyword." The Master Chief regarded them all. "These items are located in vaults beneath the academies. They can only be opened by four females with… unique abilities."

Belladonna's ears flickered. "Like a semblance?"

"No, these abilities are not unique to the user. The conditions are that the user must be female and they must be no older than thirty years of age." These conditions confused even the spartan, but this was critical info to relay. "These abilities act like keys to access these 'WMDs. Unfortunately, one of these people has been attacked and their ability is partially stolen. It is our job to seek out the individual responsible for the attempted murder and put them down."

Yang gave a look of uncertainty. "Chief, this seems kind of sketchy. I'm all for killing, but do we even know the identity of this attacker?"

Before he could speak, his eyes momentarily glanced at his motion tracker. He'd noticed a blur of red on it and for a moment, he thought he might be seeing enemies where there were none. But then multiple dots began appearing on the screen.

Grimm.

"Chief?' Ruby seemed to pick up on his change.

Time to thin the herd.

He motioned to the back of the pelican. "Weapon, now."

His three fighters immediately moved to retrieve their gear. They wouldn't have time to strap on everything, so it was pretty much weapons and whatever ammo they could strap on quickly.

"Schnee, if you want to be useful, grab those ammo cans and follow us." The Master Chief pointed to the green boxes in question. "And make sure you have a weapon."

Like the rest of the girls, she didn't hesitate to obey, and that made things so much easier. If he had been more specific, he would have told her to read the labels on each can which indicated the ammo type inside, but that was on him and he'd handle it accordingly once they began engaging. For now, they'd have to do with what they had on hand.

In less than three minutes, all of them had gathered weapons and ammo and were off spriting to danger. Thankfully, their training and experience were paying off and now they could respond to threats within a minute.

This might not be much of a threat at all, but given what he was seeing on his motion tracker, it looked like a small horde was approaching, which was strange by itself. As far as he could see, there were no serious incidents that might provoke negative emotions, which meant one of two things: either there were some hidden things going on or someone had intentionally orchestrated this event.

And given the intel about the Grimm and their queen, the latter was the one that made the most sense.

There would be time to sort out the whys later. For now, they had a job to do.

"Spartans, prepare for combat."

Halo - - - RWBY

1700 Hours

Finding a trail had been difficult, although Cinder would not admit as much to her minions. Despite the obvious trail of death and destruction that this unknown had left in their wake, it was so hard to figure out exactly where the end was.

It did not help that the main HQ of the White Fang was decimated and its high leader dead as well. The only reason that they had even managed this much was because they had managed to get a few locals to speak about an unusual sight.

An aircraft that was not an airship or a bullhead or anything that was common. That clue could have been easily missed. Thankfully, with sharp hearing and extremely "persuasive" skills, they had managed to get a trial.

Which led to this small backwater town in Vale's territory. Now the only thing left to do was to draw out this mysterious assailant and get them to serve her. One way or another, she would have a suitable force to cause some chaos when it came time to storm Beacon Academy.

The easiest thing to do was set some Grimm loose on this town. It would not be an overly suspicious tragedy if this town fell. While uncommon, any town that was not under direct protection from the kingdoms risked being attacked and destroyed either by monsters or bandits. If it fell, it would be proclaimed an unfortunate event, but nothing more. After all, Grimm were little more than mindless beasts to the public perception.

Cinder heard gunfire in the distance, but it sounded unlike anything she had ever heard and she was familiar with a plethora of firearms.

"Sounds like we've got company." Mercury mirrored her thinking. "And it just might be the one we're looking for."

Moments after he spoke, more gunfire erupted, varying in noise and frequency. That could only mean one thing.

Emerald frowned. "Multiple fighters? Maybe the village joined in?"

"Perhaps, but there is no point in speculating. We will know more once we see our killer firsthand." The false maiden's eyes glowed bright. "Let them come to us. From there, we will see who we are dealing with."

Admittedly, this was not part of the plan, at least not a part that would be easy to explain to her mistress. Salem would no doubt see through the eyes of the Grimm and question why her prized fighter was diverting from the White Fang. It would be an easy enough explanation, but whether or not the Grimm queen would accept it was another matter.

Cinder would find a way to ingratiate herself before the immortal witch later. For now, she had to make sure that the Fall of Beacon went on schedule. Whomever this person was, she could respect their destructive capabilities and nothing else.

A brute who only killed off useful pieces was not going to be hard to control. It took more than sheer power to win. Cunning and a quick-thinking were also necessary, traits that she possessed as a whole.

Been a while, you guys. This is going to sound like a repeat of this time last year, but I've found myself back in training for a new job in the Army. I don't know how busy I'll be over the course of the first six months of 2024 but expect sporadic updates to stories.

Moving forward, I recognize that in terms of Weiss's character at this time, she's barely got any and she's only just started to gain an inkling of acceptance before the real shit pops off. Consider the events to come as a test of who she is and what she will do.

Thoughts on this chapter? Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

"War is the continuation of politics by other means."

Carl von Clausewitz