Flying down toward Turles, Evan and Penny flew on either side of the massive Saiyan.
As Turles attempted to snatch Penny out of the air, the robotic girl brought her swords forward, cutting his palm as small drops of blood slipped down the Saiyan's hand.
"She can actually hurt him?!" Evan realized internally as Turles pulled his hand away and began charging up a powerful Ki attack.
"Penny! Follow me!" Evan yelled out as he flew toward her.
Flying away from Turles, Evan and Penny watched as Turles unleashed dozens upon dozens of purple Ki lasers that each snaked their way through the air and rapidly charged toward them.
Twisting their bodies through the air, Penny and Evan narrowly dodged the incoming attacks.
"Penny, I have a plan! I need you-" Evan began to say just as the Ki attacks circled back around and surround them from all sides, with the two teens directly in the middle.
Just as all the attacks converged on the duo, Evan produced an energy barrier around the two of them.
As Evan struggled to keep the barrier up, he turned toward Penny.
"Listen close, ok!? We need to wrap this up quick!" Evan shouted out.
"Of course." Penny replied back with a look of concentration on her face.
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Standing far away from the attack, Turles watched as a bright light blasted out from where Evan and Penny were.
As the light dissipated, Turles could only see Evan still floating in the air.
Watching as Evan charged forward, the teen tossed out countless Ki blasts at Turles before proceeding to detonate them in front of the massive Saiyan. As a large smoke cloud was created, Evan continued his attack as he flew right past Turles's head.
Swinging his massive fist, Turles successfully forced Evan off course and away from his tail.
Suddenly, Turles felt the air beneath him begin to move and stir. Leaping into the air, Turles saw multiple swords on strings emerging from the forest floor, barely missing his tail. Watching the blades continue rising higher into the air, their trajectories seemingly unchanging, Turles couldn't help but grin.
"Ha! You thought a trick like that would work on-" Turles began to boast only for pain to course through his body.
Looking behind him, the proud Saiyan saw most of his tail fall to the ground in a heap.
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Watching as the swords initially miss their target, Evan saw Penny masterfully use her weapons as the swords stopped in their tracks and began to vibrate before quickly turning back around and cutting Turles's tail off.
"Nuh-Noooooo!" Turles shouted out as his power and size began to diminish rapidly.
Now only 12 feet tall and still shrinking in height, Turles prepared to use the last of his Great Ape strength to kill Penny with his fist pulled back and ready to strike.
Diving down toward his opponent with his fist outstretched to protect his friend, Evan struck Turles's chest, breaking through the Saiyan's armor. Continuing the attack, Evan forced his left hand even further as it pierced through Turles's skin as blood splattered across the teen's arm.
Flying backward from the force of the punch, Turles tumbled across the ground, finally back to his normal size, before crashing into the base of a nearby tree.
As the wind around Evan changed direction, as if all of it was being siphoned by some object behind him, the young Saiyan could sense a familiar presence rapidly approaching.
Turning his head, Evan saw Harriet come to a stop midair. Behind her, Evan could see Ironwood's fleet coming in the distance along with the Ki of Winter, and the other Ace Ops popping into his metaphorical radar one after the other.
"Evan…thank…thank goodness you're alright…Where did that giant monster…Where's Turles…" Harriet stammered out while rapidly looking around as sweat dripped down her body as she spoke.
As she did so, her gaze lowered further down as she finally took notice of Evan's debilitating injury.
"Holy fu…Evan…I'm so sorry…I should have…" Harriet began to speak, her voice full of sympathy.
"No, it's not your fault." Evan said with a kind, apologetic tone in his voice.
"And don't worry, there's just…something that I have to do." Evan continued as his expression changed to a more miserable one.
Floating through the air, Evan quietly approached Turles, the only sounds that were made being his own quiet breathing and the wind blowing through the trees.
Turles, on the other hand, was slumped against the back of a dead tree, holding a hand out to his wounded stomach to desperately try and slow the bleeding. In pain, Turles raised his head up and stared at Evan with anger.
"Why did it have to come to this?" Evan questioned in a low, almost frustrated tone as he looked down at his left hand, still dripping with blood.
"We're…We're Saiyans, bloodshed is all we know." Turles replied back calmly as blood started to run down his mouth and cheek.
"But it doesn't have to stay that way!" Evan shouted out desperately as Harriet and Team RWBY watched on from a distance.
"The Saiyan race can be more than what it used to be. We could have…" Evan stopped himself at what he said as he quickly reconsidered the choice in words.
"We can still change it and forge a new path, while still accepting what came before. You and I, together." Evan stated as he pleaded for Turles to accept.
"Spare me your words. As if I would ever join someone so pathetic." Turles responded back as he hacked up some more blood, spitting it out on the ground, staining the leaves and dirt in the process.
"You are a disgrace to our people. That form is wasted on you." Turles continued with vitriol in his voice.
"If I had that power, no one would have stopped me and my conquest." Turles said as he let his hand drop away from his bleeding wound.
Writhing in pain, Turles slowly got to his feet, almost stumbling back to the ground as he did so.
"I swear, on my honor as a true Saiyan warrior, I will not lose to someone who rejects everything our race stands for!" Turles spoke aloud as he clenched his fists.
"I will end this fight, here and now!" Turles declared as his entire body shook with his Ki.
Not only was Turles using his own remaining Ki reserves in his body, but Evan's eyes widened in shock as he sensed that Turles was starting to use even his own remaining life force to power the attack, his body now beginning to flash rapidly between his normal appearance to one of pure white light.
Concentrating all of that energy into his blood soaked left hand, Turles's eyes were lit with clear defiance and determination.
Preparing his own counterattack, Evan held out his right hand and started charging his own yellow Ki into it.
As the two Saiyans prepared each of their attacks, Turles started to laugh in a loud boastful voice.
"To think that all your efforts will be in vain! No matter what you do in this realm of existence, you will still share the same fate as the rest of the Saiyans who came before you! And when you inevitably arrive at those hellish gates, I will be waiting there, with a smile on my face!" Turles shouted out as he smirked.
Evan, completely silent to Turles's declaration, looked on with a dejected look on his face.
"If that's what you believe…" Evan began to say as his expression morphed into a forced neutral one.
"Then I'll see you around." Evan finished as Turles's smirk dropped down into an anger filled grimace.
In that instance, the following few seconds felt like they stretched on for a millenium as both Saiyans seemingly waited for the other to make the first move. As time finally seemed to progress, it was clear which warrior attacked first.
"DIE!" Turles yelled out at the top of his lungs as he fired off a massive purple laser.
"AAHHHHH!" Evan furiously screamed out in retaliation as his even larger yellow laser shot out from his palm.
For a brief moment, both beams clashed with neither one making any significant ground over the other, only for Evan's attack to rapidly overpower Turles's as the attack cut through the evil Saiyan's laser before quickly encompassing the man himself.
"URRAAGGHH!" Turles yelled out as his body quickly burned away into nothing as Evan's beam continued forward, obliterating everything behind Turles for a mile.
As the smoke dissipated, Evan looked on at the destruction with a clearly upset and disappointed look on his face as he looked down at his right hand before lowering it back down to his side.
"Is…Is it over?" Blake hesitantly asked as she approached the young Saiyan.
"No. There's just one last thing that needs to be undone." Evan replied sadly as his gaze turned to the Tree of Migt.
"You got a communicator?" Evan asked as he looked toward Harriet and began to wipe the blood off on his clothes.
"Yeah." Harriet stated as she gestured toward the device in her ear.
"Ok. Tell the Ace Ops and everyone in the fleet to aim towards that side of the tree. Have them all fire only after I start attacking. We need to hit that thing with everything we got!" Evan explained as he pointed to the side of the tree with a massive hole in its side.
Floating through the air, toward the side of the tree, the young Saiyan saw Team RWBY below him running across the forest floor as they reloaded their weapons. Reaching his destination, Evan held out both of his hands and began to gather Ki. As the teen charged up a Crimson Cannon, he looked behind him to see the fleet move into position.
In addition, he also saw Winter and the rest of the Ace Ops charge up their own Crimson Cannons. Almost directly above him, Evan saw Penny point all of her swords forward as green energy began to build at their tips. Even below him, Evan saw Team RWBY aim their weapons at the Tree of Might.
"Now!" Evan yelled out as he unleashed his attack toward the exposed part of the tree.
As massive artillery rounds battered the bark of the tree, and eight separate lasers blasted the interior section of the massive plant, Evan could hear the tree begin to give way. Bit by bit, the combination of their assault caused the tree to tilt more and more.
Then, with a thundering CRACK that resonated across the landscape, the upper half of the tree was cut down as it fell through the air before landing on the ground with a mighty THUD.
As the ground beneath Evan quickly rumbled, the young Saiyan looked on with a content yet exhausted smile. Looking at his surroundings, it seemed as if life was literally being brought back into the land. As the roots of the Tree of Might began to wither and rot on the spot, the previously dead trees and vegetation started to bloom right in front of his eyes.
With his energy utterly spent, Evan's body forced itself out of Super Saiyan, causing Evan to immediately feel whatever adrenaline that was pumping through his veins previously began to dissipate. To Evan, it was like dozens of hot needles were getting jabbed into his legs as the pain rose in intensity, almost causing the teen to double over in pain. Remaining upright however, keeping most of his pain under wraps, Evan watched as Team RWBY approached him with concern clear on their faces.
Following suit, Penny floated down next to him with a worried expression. Giving the group a small smile to ease them, Evan watched as Ruby stepped forward, reaching a hand out toward Penny.
"Is that…really you, Penny?" Ruby asked hesitantly.
Immediately, Penny's face lit up as she turned to face her friend.
"RUBY!" Penny exclaimed as she used her rocket boots' propulsion to launch herself forward and give Ruby a massive hug.
"I'm so glad to see you again! It's been too long!" Penny continued energetically as Ruby remained silent while her arms instinctively went to hug Penny back.
"How have you been? I've heard a lot has happened since we parted ways. Tell me everything! Oh! And you don't need to worry about me. My father's given me plenty of new upgrades, and I've even started training with Mister…" Penny chatted on only for her conversation to be cut off by the sound of Ruby sniffling.
Wrapping her arms even tighter around Penny, Ruby started to cry. Seconds later, Evan joined the embrace, tears already streaming down his cheeks.
"I…t-thought I lost you…" Evan barely managed to squeak out through the tears.
As Penny's happy face changed to a more compassionate and almost embarrassed one, Penny held her two friends close.
"I'm…I'm sorry for leaving you both." Penny replied back.
As the three friends held each other close, enjoying the silence of the moment, a new voice broke the peace.
"Winter?" Weiss questioned in a surprised tone.
Sensing the Ace Ops and Winter float out of the air and touch down behind him, Evan slowly moved out of the hug as he turned to face the Ace Ops.
Seeing Evan's injury, Winter, Vine, Marrow, and Clover all looked at Evan's injury in horror while Harriet just stood in the back as she awkwardly looked away from the gruesome sight. The sole exception being Elm who was in a state of utter shock.
"H-Hey guys." Evan said as he wiped the tears from his face.
Slowly walking forward, dead leaves crunching with every step she took, Elm stood in front of the teen as she lowered her head to meet Evan's gaze.
"Kid…" Elm started to say as tears started to flow down her face.
Instantly, the large woman brought Evan close in a tight hug.
"You…you're the bravest person I have ever or will ever know. Don't you ever forget that. You got me? N-Never forget that." Elm continued as her voice began to break up as she talked.
"And…and don't worry, Atlas tech is…is the best in the world. W-We'll get you the best prosthetics around and fix you right up! I promise you that…" Elm tried to comfort the Saiyan as Evan hugged her back.
"Thanks Elm. That means a lot. Really, it does…Although, I don't think that'll be necessary." Evan added, which caused everyone to go silent as Marrow approached the teen.
"You're joking? This isn't something you can just walk off…Sorry, that wasn't meant to be a joke. But why do you say that? Do you have some crazy healing powers that you've been hiding from us?" Marrow questioned as he tilt his head in confusion.
"No, but I know something that does. Has anyone seen Turles's ship?" Evan questioned as he tried spotting the vessel.
"Yeah, I saw it in the trunk of the tree after we cut the top half of it down." Clover added.
"Then we need to get moving over there." Evan declared as he tried to move away from Elm, only for one of his dangling legs to get pushed against Elm's legs.
Taking in a sharp breath, Evan's body went straight as an arrow. Immediately, Vine swooped in and wrapped his arm around Evan's back and under one of his arms, keeping the Saiyan stable.
"I got you." Vine said with a rare touch of emotion in his voice as he lifted Evan's other arm up and around Vine's own back.
"T-Thanks." Evan replied back as he leaned against Vine, fighting through the pain.
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The spaceship itself looked almost too simple on the outside. Its appearance very much resembled that of Evan's own space pod, only on a much larger scale.
With a sizable open hatch on its underside, the group consisting of Evan, Penny, Winter, the Ace Ops, and Team RWBY made their way inside of the ship's interior.
As they continued moving through the ship's main circular hall, the group passed several doors that each had a plaque next to the door, written in some bizarre alien language. With every door they passed, the door would automatically slide open with a loud and futuristic FSSH.
"I can't believe we're inside an actual spaceship!" Marrow muttered out as he trailed behind the group and kept looking around in awe as the group walked forward.
"Now's not the time to sit around and sightsee." Clover added with a small bit of urgency and strictness in his voice.
"I know, I know…" Marrow replied in an unhappy but understanding tone as he ran back up with the rest of the group.
"So what exactly are we looking for? I can't make heads or tails of these scribbles." Harriet questioned as she squinted at the plaques.
"Maybe you don't, but I know each and every one of them. And the ones we're looking for spell out into the word…" Evan began to say as they reached a new door.
"Infirmary." Evan finished as he pointed toward the nearby plaque.
As the door slid open, Evan's eyes shone with delight. In front of them was a sterile room with pink, metallic walls. The room contained three, large, white machines that each had a circular, green window looking inside the machine itself. In addition, each machine had large blue tubing extending out it and into various small white, opaque containers next to each of the machines.
"YES! They have it!" Evan exclaimed, almost falling out of Vine's grasp in the process.
"What is it?" Ruby questioned curiously.
"This is one of the most state-of-the-art healing machines that you can find in the universe. Most hospitals on other planets are filled with these bad boys!" Evan explained with a smile on his face.
"I figured that Turles's ship had to have at least one of these on board. When you're wanted by the Frieza Force, the Galactic Patrol, bounty hunters, and every other significant player in the galaxy, you can't exactly stop by a hospital if you're knocking on death's door." Evan continued.
"If you put me in there, I should be good-as-new in a matter of hours! All my bones and stuff will be totally healed up!" Evan exclaimed, causing the others to look dumbstruck.
"Really?! Hours?!" Blake questioned in complete disbelief.
"Yep. These machines can work miracles!" Evan replied with complete sincerity.
"This is wonderful, Ruby! What a marvel of science!" Penny cheered as she went in for another, albeit shorter, hug with Ruby
"No kidding. And here I thought Atlas tech was advanced." Marrow added.
"You think this is cool, just wait til' you see me get behind the wheel of this vessel." Evan said as he looked toward the faunus.
"Are you…actually planning on piloting this spaceship? Right now?" Weiss asked with a look of surprise on her face.
"Well, we can't just leave this thing out in the middle of nowhere." Evan replied, only for Penny to step in front of Evan with the look of a stern teacher.
"I'm sorry Evan, but I simply refuse to let you operate this vehicle. Especially not in your current condition. I can't stand to see my friend in so much pain for even another second!" Penny explained.
"What do you propose then? You pilot the spaceship?" Evan inquired jokingly.
"Of course." Penny said casually, causing Evan's expression to drop in confusion.
"My robotic brain can store countless bits of information, so if Evan can just show me the rest of the alien language, I can translate it back to English in real time!" Penny elaborated.
"I suppose that makes sense, but you'd still need to know how to drive the thing. If we head to the bridge, I can show you the basics of what you'll need to get this ship from crashing into anything along with teaching you the rest of the language. Once that's settled, I promise that'll sit myself down in that pod right there." Evan argued as he pointed toward the machine on the left.
"Indeed." Penny decided, her attitude shifting back to her normal, upbeat one.
As the large group left the room and began walking to the bridge, Yang approached Penny.
"Now listen, it's great to have you back, genuinely. But how are you even here?! After what happened at the Vytal Festival we all thought you…you know." Yang questioned
"Died? I'm not sure I would put it like that. After the Fall of Beacon, my father was able to use parts from my original body, including my memory banks, and constructed a new and improved body for me to use. For me, after I lost power, it felt like I was put in standby mode for a long time. I think it's similar to a human concept you refer to as sleeping. After a while, I just woke up and my father told me everything I missed."
As the door opened up, the group entered the bridge.
It was a massive and expansive room that seemed to only have a massive screen built into the wall itself.
Scanning the floor, Evan pointed to a small metal plate slightly sticking out from the others on the ground.
"Place your foot there, Penny." Evan instructed.
Doing as Evan said, Penny watched as the space surrounding the robot girl changed as multiple panels and electronic terminals rose up from the smooth floor.
Helping Evan over toward Penny, Vine stood next to
the two teens as the main screen above them came to life, showing off a wide view of the landscape outside.
"Ok. So to start, this symbol represents the letter…" Evan began to explain as he pointed at one of the alien letters on one of the terminals.
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As Evan instructed Penny, Team RWBY, Winter, and the other Ace Ops watched from afar.
As a tiny noise rang out from Winter's communicator, Winter raised a hand up to the device as she walked toward one of the corners of the room.
"You know, you four are lucky." Harriet argued as she looked toward Team RWBY.
"About what?" Yang asked.
"The fact that you four are still in one piece." Harriet added.
"When we were flying over here, we were able to sense the Ki coming off those aliens, and they were all very large. I'm not sure even we would have done that well against them. How did you four even last as long as you did?" Harriet questioned.
"It was…weird?" Ruby said as she leaned forward to join in on the conversation.
"Like, they weren't trying to go for the kill. That was until one of them got actually hurt." Ruby continued as she tried to find the right words.
"They were toying with us. Those monsters treated the fight almost like it was a game to them." Blake answered bitterly as she leaned against the metal wall behind the group.
"Then there's your answer. If they cut the bullshit and actually decided to start fighting you all seriously…" Harriet said as she looked at Evan's injury, causing a look of dread to briefly cross her face.
"Like I said, you're lucky." Harriet concluded as she turned away from Yang.
"Trust me, I'm beyond thankful. I've already knocked at the Grim Reaper's door once before." Yang explained as she held up her damaged robotic arm.
"After we took down Adam together at Haven Academy, I thought we were stronger than ever. So, it was beyond frustrating to be so helpless against those Crusher Corps assholes. I was so determined to try and cut down that stupid tree, but I was barely able to bruise one of those bastards." Yang continued with an irritated look on her face.
"If I had known just how out of our depth we were back there, I never would have considered going to fight them, especially if it would have put my team in danger." Yang finished as her expression softened to a more pensive look.
"Obviously you four had the best of intentions. You shouldn't beat yourself up about it." Elm said as she tried to comfort the teen, only for Yang to turn away from Elm and ignore her.
Waking up toward the blonde teen, Ruby looked on with a compassionate expression.
"Come on sis, don't blame yourself. It was ultimately my decision as leader to go to the tree." Ruby replied kindly.
"But if we couldn't even handle those alien freaks, what chance do we even have in taking down Salem?!" Yang responded passionately as the Ace Ops looked on in shock.
"How the heck do you know about Salem?!" Marrow questioned with a stunned tone in his voice.
"We used one of the relics to find out, although it wasn't like it was exactly useful information." Weiss explained.
"But you saw how strong Evan was in that fight, maybe he actually could help stop Salem." Ruby argued optimistically.
"It's going to take more than one strong person to defeat someone like her, which puts us back at square one." Weiss replied back with a frustrated look.
"I know a way. With training, lots of training." Elm stated confidently as she approached Weiss.
"Thanks, but I don't think that's going to help much." Blake replied with a melancholic tone.
"I'm not so sure. You just need the right mentors to help you out." Elm elaborated as she opened his hand and produced a Ki ball.
"With Ki, anything's possible." Elm continued with a proud look on her face.
"You think we actually could use Ki? Like Evan can?" Ruby questioned.
"Absolutely! The five of us and Winter didn't know squat until Evan showed us the ropes. Hell, Penny was even able to learn it from us, and she's made of metal. If we all could learn it, I don't see how you four couldn't." Elm argued.
"If that's true…maybe killing Salem isn't just a pipe dream, after all..." Weiss said aloud with hope in her voice.
As the rest of Team RWBY began to pep up as they started to take in the idea, Clover stepped forward.
"When we reach Atlas, just come and find us whenever you're ready to learn." Clover stated as he held his hand out.
"You got it." Ruby replied happily as the two leaders shook hands.
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"And that's what you need to know. You sure you can handle all of this?" Evan questioned with mild concern on his face.
"I do believe so." Penny affirmed as she nodded.
"Alright, then you're now the official captain of this vessel. Guide us home." Evan said aloud as he gave her a friendly salute.
"Aye aye!" Penny exclaimed as she saluted back.
"Alright, let's get you back to the infirmary." Harriet added as she walked up next to Evan.
As Evan, Winter and the Ace Ops left the bridge, leaving Penny with Team RWBY, the teen watched as Winter made her way toward the spaceship's main exit.
"Where you going?" Evan questioned.
"While I wish I could stay longer, I've just received some new orders from General Ironwood, and thus I must make my leave." Winter explained.
"Thank you Evan for your hard work today. Your efforts won't go unnoticed. I do hope that machine really can get you to a full recovery." Winter said warmly as she gave him a salute before proceeding to walk away.
"See ya back at Atlas?" Evan asked optimistically.
"Was that ever in doubt?" Winter replied as she turned around briefly to give a small smile.
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Slowly lowering Evan into the medical machine, Vine and Harriet placed the now naked Saiyan as if he were made of glass. Nearby, Evan saw Vine carefully fold up his battered and bloody clothes and placed them on a bench built into the wall.
"So what exactly does this thing have that can rapidly heal all your wounds?" Marrow inquired curiously as he secured a breathing apparatus around Evan's face.
"Don't know. I'm not sure if it's a mixture of random plants and herbs from around the universe, nanobots, a combination of the two, or something else entirely. I just know that this science stuff can heal damn near anything." Evan elaborated as he shook his head.
"And you said to press the green button first, then the third blue button on the right hand side?" Clover questioned in front of a console next to the machine.
"Yeah. That'll basically put it in an automatic mode that doesn't require any additional work from you guys." Evan confirmed.
"Ok. Get ready." Clover said as he pressed a button on the console, sealing Evan inside as the door lowered down and locked shut.
Hearing the machine come to life, Evan watched as blue liquid quickly filled the entire inside of the unit. His whole body going numb, Evan's eyes began to grow heavy.
"See you on the other side, kid." Elm replied in a comforting tone as Evan fell asleep.
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"Have you located the target yet?" Ironwood questioned as he gazed out toward the chopped down Tree of Might from inside the main flagship.
"Negative, sir." Winter stated through the tiny speaker in the General's ear.
"To think a single tree could have caused this much damage." Ironwood muttered to himself before turning toward another individual working at one of the flagship's computers.
"Send five ships to Argus immediately to scout out the city and start loading up civilians. I want a full damage report on my desk by the end of the week." Ironwood said aloud as the worker quickly nodded before quietly issuing the orders in the nearby microphone at their station.
"With the damage done to Argus, the whole city's populace will need to be escorted to Solitas. I'll need to set up emergency housing in Mantle and Atlas, flush out any and all Grimm that snuck into Argus, send more troops down to protect construction…and that's on top of everything else that I have on my plate." Ironwood contemplated.
In his mind, the General already began to visualize the amount of paperwork he'd have to meticulously read over and sign, the political games he'd have to navigate through with the rest of the Atlesian council, and the inevitable complaints and smear campaigns that he would receive from both Atlesian citizens and politicians regarding the incoming refugees from Argus.
For a brief moment, he briefly considered the alternative: Canceling the orders he just issued, leaving the Argus citizens to whatever fate might befall them, and returning to Atlas as if nothing had happened.
However, he immediately knew that was never an option he'd actually go through with. Those Argus civilians were just as important as any individual in Atlas or Mantle. So he'd help them however he could, and that was all there was to it. Taking in a deep breath, Ironwood expelled the intrusive thoughts from his mind.
"But it has to be done." Ironwood ultimately decided as he straightened his posture.
"As for you Winter, continue your search. Your platoon is to remain stationed at the tree until the target has been found." Ironwood ordered as he raised a hand up to his ear, reactivating the communicator's built-in microphone.
"Understood. I'll make sure to keep you posted." Winter said calmly.
"Thank you Winter. Maybe we'll be able to salvage some good out of this whole situation." Ironwood finished as the flagship and most of the fleet began to turn around back toward Argus.