Two months after the city fell and people were settled into Beacon. It was officially the first anniversary of the Locust War and twenty-five percent of the population was either enslaved or dead.
He had called upon the construction bots to start building stable shelters and watched as a large container of supplies landed on the ground. It made a loud metallic bang that rang out across the area and made people look towards its direction. He went up to the cargo container of supplies and put in the password, opening it once the lock beeped and flashed green.
Inside was food, clean water, medical supplies, weapons and ammo, and even some entertainment items. A group of Gears took a small crate in their hands and carried it, passing it around to different sections. They all looked above to see Bullheads being flown above, carrying AA guns and other defensive equipment. This place couldn't fall like the city and he knew Ozpin would never risk his precious academy being destroyed.
He looked up at the tower and could faintly see Ozpin's silhouette, making him raise his hand and give the middle finger before turning away. Ever since he last saw him, neither one had talked much. He pretty much hated the Headmaster, but didn't really mind the staff too much. Glynda was practically the only one who kept a professional relationship with him and he often talked to her surprisingly.
Anything regarding the Locust was reported to him and in turn, he gave her information about the status of the war. She was more of a leader than Ozpin was, and it was a shocker that she wasn't in charge. There were times when she overstepped, but was quick to correct herself when she realized that she wasn't talking to one of her students, another staff member, or Ironwood.
Walker was a hardened commander that was fiercely protective of the ones he considered his own. Which meant all the Gears and even extending to the other mercenary company a majority of the time. If the Locust weren't here committing a genocidal war at an alarming rate, he would possibly be the biggest threat. He wasn't a chess master like some people, but he wasn't stupid either. He was someone who would overwhelm his opponent without a shred of mercy, given enough time and preparation.
Even if he didn't have the resources, he was still a force to be reckoned with.
His scroll buzzed and he answered it, seeing it was from Richard. It's been a while since he's talked to them but they understood that he was busy a majority of the time. He looked around before answering the video call and finding a secluded space. The Scarlatina family's faces popped up and they greeted him. He greeted them back and sat down in one of the Bullheads.
"Are you about to leave?" Richard asked and gestured towards his current state.
"Nah. I just got back from patrol in the city." Walker shook his head. He noticed their faces turn sorrowful for a small second. It made national news that Vale had fallen due to the Locust, Grimm and the Heaven's Spear strike.
"I thought you guys weren't going back there?" Katrina asked.
"We had to look for survivors." He answered.
"Did you find any?" Velvet asked, holding a sleeping Amiya against her chest.
"Found a few. For the most part, it's just a giant graveyard." He said as he rotated his neck and cracked it.
"You guys are alright, right?" Richard asked.
"Yeah. Jessica managed to come in with a good plan to evacuate after the Spear screwed up our original plan." Walker said. They saw him look up when a pilot politely asked if he could leave so she could take off. He just nodded and walked out before finding a bench to sit at.
"How many people are there?" Velvet asked.
"Last time I checked... maybe six or seven thousand? A lot went to Menagerie and a lot joined us." He answered.
"Why Menagerie?" Katrina asked.
"It has a lot of space and it's on a landmass that's hard to dig through. A base is being set up there to accommodate for the sudden surge of refugees." He said. It was costing a lot, but the council had given him a large amount of money for the evacuation. To them, even though he didn't really bother with them too much, it was the least they could do for allowing people to see another day.
"Do you think it's possible for people to go there?" Velvet asked.
"You all want to move?" He asked.
"Not move, just visit. I mean, we love it here and all, but seeing nothing but ocean nearly every day gets a little..." Richard trailed off.
"I get it. Once we get everything set up, I'll start making arrangements." Walker nodded. It was understandable that people would start to want to see the ground again. Their base wouldn't be too far from Kuo Kuana, around a three minute drive at least. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than them trying to squeeze into the city and push the locals out of their homes.
"I think that would be nice. Ian's getting a little antsy." Katrina said, and the camera was turned to see the younger Faunus lying down on the ground, staring up at the ceiling in boredom.
"I bet. Listen... I got to go though. It's almost dinner time." He said.
"Alright, see you later." Richard responded while the others gave their own farewell and the video call ended.
Walker just sighed and leaned back into the bench before noticing that the line for dinner was full. He just closed his eyes and leaned back into the bench before relaxing a bit. The sound of the rain impacting his helmet made him open his eyes and stare up at the cloudy sky. It was peaceful in a sense and it sounded nice as he watched the droplets slide down his view.
An umbrella blocked his view of the sky and he looked to see Blake holding it over their heads, balancing a plate of food on her left forearm and hand while her right hand carried the umbrella. He took the plate from her forearm before gesturing his appreciation and tilting his helmet up. She scooted closer to him and he had his skull-drone carry the umbrella.
The two simply enjoyed the silence and ate their food. It was chicken stew and he winced when he ate it too fast, not letting it cool down some. She simply smirked at him before he shoved her lightly with his elbow. They saw Jaune walking with Pyrrha, the blonde telling a corny joke and making her smile a bit. They turned and saw Red walk towards them before sitting on Walker's other side.
"When are we heading back?" Red asked.
"Next week, but we're not staying very long." He answered.
"Are we heading to Menagerie?" She asked.
"Yeah. The base is almost finished and we need to get acquainted with Blake's parents." He answered.
"Something I'm not looking forward to." Blake murmured.
"Suck it up." He said before poking her right cheek. She just lightly slapped his hand away before finishing up her food.
"Two hundred lien says Jaune gets cozy with Nikos." Red said.
"Double if he doesn't." He said.
"Triple it if he does." Blake added.
"You two got yourselves a deal then." He shook their hands. The umbrella was taken from the drone and he held it over their heads while he just let the rain roll off him. It was slightly relaxing to hear the rain bounce off his helmet. They got hit hard, but they'd bounce back and hit the Locust harder than before now that they had the data.
A week had passed and he found himself sitting in his office while reading some reports. He hasn't really been out much today and it was good to get caught up on paperwork unless he wanted to fall behind. Granted, the people keeping everything updated constantly while he was gone helped out a lot. It freed up some of the workload from his shoulders.
They had recently reviewed the mapping data and started coming up with offensive approaches recently. While it was a good thing they now had this data, they all still had to gather more on the Locust leadership. He knew it was the queen since she was dead, so it was either someone like her or a high-ranking Locust that was similar to the previous leaders.
His thoughts drifted back to Sera, how he's officially been gone for two years now. He wondered how everyone was doing back home, where they went after the war. When he did finally find a way back, it would be hard to track them down and then find a way to contact them. That's if he actually found a way and wasn't forever stuck on this planet. There were some days he wished he never stumbled across that lab, but had learned to come to terms with it.
He looked up and read an email that was sent to him from the BSS, the lab results from some of the bodies recovered in the city had arrived. No one was able to stay in the city very long after the strike. If they did go for an extended period of time, then they needed to wear gas masks with bigger filters. The people they had found in the city recently had an unknown disease and nobody was willing to risk it spreading, so they were quarantined.
Blackish blue crystals were growing over the victims' remains and it did more damage to humanity than against the Locust. The crystals were highly volatile and unpredictable and further study was needed in order to learn about it more. The only upside of that attack was that it cut their complete takeover short, but at the cost of tens of thousands of lives. It was another reason he refused to associate himself with the academies too much and simply focused on building and maintaining his own power.
The only reason he bothered with them was because Atlas possibly had information regarding the Locust and Beacon had his Gears along with the survivors from the city. They stopped trying to request him to educate the students a few months ago once they realized he wasn't going to; none of the staff could stop him nor tell him what to do because he would always find a way to get what he wanted.
Not to mention, he was essentially the only one that had a plan and several more plans in case the first one failed. He pointed out their flaws regarding the lack of defenses and security, stating that if someone were to attack then they'd be screwed. It's why he had certain people selected for security, ones that specialized in dealing with people.
Huntsmen and Huntresses found the list of jobs slowly disappearing little by little, and it became harder to find work. The council, despite being somewhat fragmented, still held political power and had come to terms that the era of Huntsmen and Huntresses was over. With the newly established military, their services weren't needed as much and the people that joined the military started to see that their previous saviors were essentially mercenaries.
The only difference was that they focused more on flair rather than pragmatism. It worked on Grimm, but did almost nothing against the Locust. The genocidal race didn't wait for an unlucky Huntsman or Huntress to finish their trick, and simply overwhelmed them brutally. They simply lacked the aggressive nature and brutality to deal with the new enemy and it cost them dearly.
So they turned to one of the two mercenary companies, often looking for advice on how to deal with the new threat. Something the Gears seemed to excel at dealing with and could match the cruelty of their reptilian counterparts. The military opened up doors that people hadn't even considered and many were quick to join, hoping to either better their situation or get their pound of flesh.
In the end, Walker didn't care since he wasn't in charge of Vale's military. They ran their own operations and didn't interfere with the Gears of BSS most of the time. However, they were willing to listen to either companies whenever the situation called for it. Anything related to the Locust always found its way to Walker and nobody had a problem taking orders from him if they were assigned to him.
There was a knock on his door and he let the person on the other side know they could come in. Jaune walked inside and handed him some files before sitting on the couch and opening up his scroll, texting someone on the other end.
"Where's Blake and Red?" Jaune asked.
"Red's swimming and Blake is at the school doing art lessons." Walker answered as he sorted out some files and scanned them onto his computer.
"Thought you would have been working out." Jaune raised an eyebrow.
"You know I work out in the morning before everyone else." Walker glanced at him before turning back to his work.
"Forgot about that." Jaune murmured.
"Because you're an idiot." Walker commented.
"Wow... freaking rude." Jaune whispered.
"Get over it. By the way, I was looking over your requests earlier." Walker said.
"Which ones?" Jaune asked.
"Unless Nikos is becoming a Gear or doing something around here, she's not living here. I don't care if she is a celebrity or not. As for your family coming here... it's tricky." Walker answered.
"I guess the first one was a bit of a stretch, but what about the second?" Jaune asked.
"You said your family likes a lot of space?" Walker asked back.
"Yeah." Jaune nodded.
"I'm not going to lie to you, that's not happening. They're not getting their own estate like back on the mainland and will most likely be sent to a few of the apartments here. Noble bloodline or not, I'm not treating them differently than anybody else." Walker answered.
"Alright, so they can still come here though, right?" Jaune asked.
"As long as they do something. Regardless of how small it is, they need to contribute or else they're not staying." Walker said.
"Well... can't say some of them will be too happy. So are you going to talk to them?" Jaune asked hopefully.
"Why the hell would I talk to them? That's your job." Walker snorted when he saw the blonde sigh dejectedly.
"Come on. Please?" Jaune asked.
"No. If Blake has to talk to her family, then I'm sure you can do the same." Walker answered. The other male just grumbled under his breath before sighing and sprawling out on the couch. It was quiet for the next several minutes and the only sound was of Walker scribbling on paper and typing on the keyboard. The clock let out a faint tick and the minutes soon slid by them.
Blake walked into his office carrying some files, setting them on the desk before looking at Jaune playing a game on the couch. He just sat up and let her sit on it before she picked up a book and started to read it. The silence was nice to be honest, it was just like before their company took off and it was only the three of them. Walker would be working or planning, Blake would be reading, and Jaune would be playing a game on his scroll.
They looked up to see Red walk inside and sit on the couch, lying her head on Blake's lap while her feet were on Jaune's lap. She usually only did this whenever Walker was busy and the other two were available. Other than that, she wouldn't do it at all. She kind of just wandered around or did weapon drills whenever she was bored and couldn't spend time with the other three.
"If you three are bored, you can find something productive to do." Walker commented, glancing to the right to look at them.
"I already finished what needed to be done at the Intelligence Platform, not to mention I was at the school for an hour and a half." Blake read her book.
"Already did what I needed to do at the Command Platform." Jaune said.
"I already patrolled and did weapon drills with some of the others." Red added.
"..." Walker just grunted and decided that he couldn't really say anything since they already did what they needed to do.
"Aren't you supposed to be off right now?" Blake asked.
"I still have another hour." He responded before looking at the time and realizing that he was technically supposed to be off. Deciding to ignore it, he just continued to work until his device beeped and he looked at it before putting it away. His skull-drone floated nearby and sorted out different items before returning to his side like the faithful companion that it was.
"You know, I've seen a lot more of those around." Jaune pointed out.
"High ranking Gears get one." Walker responded. More of the skull-drones had begun to float more around the base. His high ranking Gears all received one and it was considered an honor to even be selected to receive one. It meant that that the Gear had stood out from some of the others and proven their worth. To receive a skull-drone for combat was like receiving a medal and only certain people earned one.
There were other skull-drones, but they were used for more menial tasks. Some were used to record important conversations and document them, others were used to act as microphones, and some were even used to act as cameras. It served as a reminder that the War Machine was always watching, making sure his home worked at maximum efficiency.
The base had grown to be a fortress-city at this point. Thousands of people resided here and hundreds of refugees had recently arrived, staring in awe at the nearly invincible, armored behemoth that was home to the Gears. The moment they stepped onto the residential platform, they felt a sense of security and safety. The massive guns constantly monitored the sky and waters for incoming threats, shooting down any Grimm that wandered too close to their home.
They all had been given a book to read, explaining the rules of living here. There was to be no leaking information without it being reviewed first, spreading false rumors and otherwise causing an unrest resulted in consequences nobody wanted, and there every single person was required to do something regardless of how little it was. They were to read and remember the teachings, but were not required to fanatically practice them like some.
He allowed personal freedom, much to the relief of some, but that didn't mean he was careless. His home was ruled by a strong individual, who didn't tolerate nonsense and it was made clear numerous times. Not everyone agreed with him, and it was something he had come to accept after some time. However, that didn't mean they didn't respect him for doing something and allowing them to live another day.
By definition, he was what was classified as a hero. However, that word was usually shunned by him half the time. He was quick to shoot people down when they called him a hero and it was something he hated hearing. There were no heroes during times like these, just people that had the will to get the job done and go home. It's how its been and would always be.
"Walker... you're mumbling." Blake said.
"Sorry." He apologized.
"It's fine." She just smiled slightly. She noticed over time that he had a habit of mumbling when he got too caught up in his thoughts, it was barely noticeable by normal people's hearing, but to a Faunus it was. Even then his words were usually meshed together to make it nearly indecipherable. It made it even harder with that golden helmet of his.
"Alright, I'm done." He said before logging off and standing up. His back and shoulders popped as he stretched and twisted before he sighed in relief and dropped his arms. They decided to to the coffee shop then to the armory before finally back to their own apartments. They'd relax for a bit before finally going to Menagerie. The base there would be finished soon and it would serve as a good place to keep the refugees.
It wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing.
The ride to Menagerie took longer than they all had expected and Walker actually used his cigar to help the time slip by faster. In his state, he watched as the others shift around quickly and move around the ship in boredom while he simply enjoyed the ocean breeze. They avoided flying simply due to the fact that some of them were tired of it and he felt like being on a ship once more.
They all arrived around noon and the sun was high in the sky, beating down on them mercilessly but it wasn't hot like in Vacuo. It was warm and simply felt nice against their skin, something a few of them seemed to enjoy. The temperature reminded them of the feeling back at base but just a tad bit warmer. They had hot weather armor on and his armor was the same one he wore on the Sovereign, although with with more sheaths for his knives and extra pouches for ammunition.
The ramp lowered and hit the docks and the Gears walked down, carrying their duffle bags of their belongings. People stared but they ignored them and the whispers that came along. The Gears were known publicly but their location, certain operations, and training was kept a secret to all but the ones affiliated with the faction. They were a mysterious, quiet force, and no one really had power over them except one person.
Even then he kept out of the spotlight; never showed his face, even to his own forces and only four people had seen his face... one of them was an infant. Despite Blake being a part of the Gears, she kept out of the spotlight as well and many people didn't really know about her until she left. Jaune was the same way and Red was practically a mere shadow half the time... which she preferred.
Blake just tugged her cap down a bit further when people recognized her; some were shocked to see the chieftain's daughter finally home after disappearing for four years. She had grown up, having a mature aura resonate from her and she still looked as beautiful as ever. It made her stick closer to his side and he didn't bother pushing her away but he never did that half the time anyways.
He understood why she was so nervous, since she was actually home now rather than just seeing pictures online. She was technically a princess by legal standards so the people's reaction of physically seeing her was understood. The last they heard, she was with some group but they didn't realize that she was with one of the most powerful private military companies in the world.
"Nervous?" He asked.
"Yeah." She admitted instantly as they walked on the main road. The people moved out of the way as they made their way through the market, each stall and vendor selling a different thing and Faunus of all ages roamed around. Everyone wore short sleeved or thin clothing to keep themselves cooler and not have a heat stroke.
"Nice place you left." He looked around at the houses and surrounding area. Some vendors were inside knee deep water, selling aquatic goods such that ranged from fish to simple sea shells.
"Yeah, try living here for sixteen years though... you'll get sick of it." She retorted as they made their way up a large hill on the main street. There were houses on either side of the street and he spotted a large mansion down the large pathway.
"I'm guessing that large ass mansion is yours?" He asked.
"Yeah..." She sighed and started to walk towards the large house.
"You don't sound happy to be home." He commented.
"I mean, I am... but not under these circumstances." She responded.
"Chin up. Might as well enjoy it the best you can." He said as he picked up his pace and walked next to her. He was glad that he wore a short sleeved shirt under his armor, the air felt surprisingly nice against his skin.
"I guess you're right." She nodded.
"Of course I'm right." He chuckled, making her roll her eyes but a small smile graced her lips. The others just saw a small separate pathway and decided to head to the newly established base, opting to get settled in before exploring the city.
"Where's Red?" She asked.
"She's taking a different route, one with less people then she's going to explore around the wilderness a bit." He answered.
"Most of Menagerie is an uninhabitable desert and Kuo Kuana is the only place that people are able to live. Why is she going all the way out there?" She asked.
"She's not. At least not all of it, but it's something she wants to do and she's setting up beacons for supply drops." He answered.
"What about Jaune?" She asked.
"He's heading towards base. You and I are the only ones heading to your home to meet with your parents." He said as the two of them got closer to the mansion. While most people would be nervous, he didn't really care to be honest. If her dad didn't like him then so be it, but he wouldn't have him interfering with his business.
They finally arrived at the house and the two walked up the stairs. He stood a bit behind her as she went up to the door and her hand shook above the door knocker and she dropped it. All that confidence she had from before seemed to fade away and she realized how much avoiding her problems was catching up to her. It all hit her like a train and it made her falter.
He just sighed a bit before grabbing the door knocker and slamming it a few times, making her blink in surprise. Her cat ears flicked at the sound of someone approaching the door and he backed off towards the side. She subconsciously reached towards him but her hand dropped when the door unlocked and someone pulled the door open.
"Blake?" Kali asked softly and her eyes widened a bit. She was a mature woman with olive skin, a pair of cat ears with earrings inside them, two on the right and one on the left. She wore a black hakama with sandals and white tabi socks. A black shrug was over her shoulders with the right sleeve long and the left sleeve short with arm warmers that extended to her middle finger.
"Hi..." Blake's ears flattened a bit and she blinked in surprise when her mom hugged her. She heard sobbing and hugged her mom tightly, tears threatening to spill out of her own eyes. Within these last few weeks, she had been so busy that she didn't return any of their calls or respond to their messages.
"We were so worried..." Kali squeezed her tightly.
"I know, I'm sorry..." Blake hugged her back.
"Kali? Who's at the door." A voice asked.
"Ghira, it's Blake." Kali answered and turned towards her husband.
Ghira was a tall Faunus with a thick beard and yellow eyes. He wore a dark-violet open coat with a fur trim, exposing a patch of hair on his chest. A large, silver metal buckle covered his stomach up to his patch of chest hair and on his left shoulder was a silver spaulder. He had a generally hairy physique but any comments were avoided because hairier people existed in the world.
"Blake?" Ghira's stern expression softened when he finally saw his daughter. The last time they met face to face was four years ago and she certainly had grown up since he last saw her.
"Hi dad." She gave a sheepish wave. She barely had time to comprehend anything before she was ushered inside, leaving her duffle bag at the door.
It slammed shut and left Walker outside by himself and he simply raised his hand before dropping it and shaking his head. He grabbed her duffle bag and started to walk towards the base, looking around the area. It was probably best he didn't ruin their reunion and instead focus on getting set up. He still needed to see how everyone at the new base was currently doing.
Mother Base was their home, but the base here on Menagerie was probably going to be a major location. Despite what a lot of people though, the continent was rich with ore containing valuable minerals and metals. It was in the desert region and he was surprised that the inhabitants of Kuo Kuana didn't take advantage of it. He guessed they either didn't know or didn't want to do anything to their landscape.
It was one of the two.
He just let his thoughts wander around like always as he simply walked towards the new base. A Gear in a truck offered him a ride, but he just declined and told them to enjoy their day. They just nodded and wished him a good day before pulling off towards the city, possibly transporting goods or people. While it was a nice gesture, he needed to stretch his legs after being stuck on that ship for a while.
His device received a notification and he set his bag down before seeing a couple of messages. Some were from the Scarlatina family but others were from Michael stating that the vehicles he requested were ready and would either be shipped to Beacon or Menagerie, possibly the latter seeing how he was here.
One King Raven and two Centaur Tanks. The King Raven was more efficient fuel wise and held more power for longer trips, something he greatly appreciated and for the last couple months they had been building it. The armor was more durable and the guns had more firepower to rip apart even the toughest Locust. He was more or less excited to test out the Centaur tank.
He had the opportunity to drive one for a while during Operation: Hollow Storm and he found himself enjoying the vehicle more than he should have. While it was armored and could take some punishment, it did have its limits with certain Locust creatures such as a Corpser. Still though, it was good to have this in their arsenal for extensive campaigns and anything that could punch a hole in the skull of a Brumak was graciously accepted.
Another message appeared on the C-Droid and he saw it was from Blake, with her apologizing profusely for forgetting to introduce him but he just told her it was alright. He'd get her stuff back to base before going to work, getting everything ready.
Backgrounds needed to be checked, training needed to be done, equipment needed to be built and maintained, and Grubs needed to be killed.
A week had passed by and the Scarlatinas were able to get cleared to visit the new base along with some of the others. It was a good chance to boost morale a bit and it allowed people to finally see some land after so long. He ended up taking Amiya out for a stroll after not seeing her for a bit, she seemed excited to see him for some reason, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She was five months old at this point and time seemed to slip by pretty quickly.
He had decided to leave his armor back at base and wore a simple tan short-sleeved shirt with brown cargo pants. She wore a simple little blue dress with a yellow sun hat with holes at the top to let her ears poke through. A backpack full of supplies barely slowed him down as he carried her to the beach, ignoring all of the people staring at his appearance. He had finished working and everyone had managed to convince him to take it easy for once, despite his protests.
Ian sat in the wagon and leaned against the cooler, bouncing around excitedly when the beach came into view. He wanted to go to the beach and Walker had agreed to take him and Amiya while Velvet relaxed with her parents for a few hours.
"Mr. Walker!" Ian tugged his hand.
"What's up, buddy?" Walker asked.
"A spot." Ian pointed at an empty spot.
"Huh... good job." Walker clicked his tongue, making the younger boy laugh triumphantly. They walked along the sidewalk to the beach and across the sand where they eventually made it to their spot. He bent down and had Ian reach inside the backpack, grabbing the towel for them to sit down on and set it up with one hand. Amiya was sat down in front of him and leaned against him while he just watched Ian play in the sand.
A small smile broke across his face as he watched the young Faunus finally release some of that pent up energy. There were plenty of other children back at Mother Base, but there really wasn't a place to allow them to run around. One of the platforms was going to be dedicated to allowing people to stretch their legs a bit, they had to sacrifice it for more apartments.
It's why he had proposed the idea for people to come to Menagerie and why he had the base set up nearby. People were growing somewhat tired of seeing ocean and metal all the time but had come to terms with the fact that it's what they'd be seeing for a while. The people in Vale's military were unfortunately stuck being in a depressing location, but they realized that Beacon was turning into a fortress and decided to defend it more than the city.
A tiny sneeze made him look down to see her face scrunch up before another sneeze escaped her. She sniffled once she was done and looked around the beach, tugging at the towel below them and at her hat. He looked up to see Ian fill his bucket up with sand and walk over to them, quickly flipping it over in a spot next to them and try to make a sand castle.
The sand was too dry and would quickly fall apart, making him scratch his head in confusion.
"You have to get it a little wet, buddy." Walker said. He watched as Ian nodded in understanding before going towards the water and scooping a handful of water into his hands, slowly making his way back to the bucket and throwing the water inside. He had to do this multiple times and it only made Walker laugh a bit because Ajay had done the same thing on Azura.
He missed his little brother.
Ian finally made a little sand castle and cleaned his hands before going to the beach wagon and fishing inside the cooler. He grabbed two little juice boxes and sat down near Walker. The sun beat down on them and Walker decided to stab the umbrella near them to provide a little bit of shade. It was Friday today and he wasn't supposed to work on weekends half the time but he did anyways.
He had to quickly stop Amiya from eating sand when she grabbed a fistful of it and tried to put in her mouth. Whatever sand clung to her skin was gently brushed away and she squeaked a bit before bouncing in front of him. Her legs kicked a bit and Ian tried to give her juice but Walker just explained to him that she wasn't old enough yet. In the future, she could but not right now.
The three simply enjoyed the beach for the next two hours, listening to the waves crash against the various surfaces and he watched as the younger Faunus collected sea shells around the beach. They clattered as they were stuffed inside the red bucket and water was put inside, rinsing the sand off of them. The bucket was stuffed inside the wagon and Ian climbed inside while Walker just collected everything and put it inside the wagon.
He pulled it behind him and it bounced from the different bumps along the wooden boardwalk. They soon found themselves in the market and the bustling crowd made the place seem livelier. It made him somewhat uncomfortable for some reason. He was so used to seeing destroyed buildings and the grey, bleak environment that the sudden assault of vibrant colors made him feel a bit queasy.
It was clear that these people had never seen the Locust and were never exposed to the horrors of war. Compared to the rest of the world, this place looked like paradise. He would probably stay here for a month before heading back to the mainland to deal with the Grubs there. It was too peaceful here and it didn't sit right with him. He was beginning to believe that he thrived off conflict; it had to be an unhealthy for someone to have.
Besides knowing a little bit about engineering, he really didn't know how to do anything else.
"Are we going to the beach tomorrow?" Ian asked, plucking one of the shells from the bucket.
"You can go with your family, but I have to work. Sorry, buddy." Walker answered. While it was technically a lie, he didn't have to go to work, he wasn't back at base to where people could take some of the workload off of him. They haven't arrived yet.
"That stinks." Ian pouted quietly.
"It does. Maybe we can go again next week-" Walker stopped when he saw Red walk up to him. She wore black cargo pants and a dark grey tank top, her goggles hung loosely around her neck while she wore a thin red hoodie. He could faintly see her swimsuit underneath her tank top and the lack of armor meant she was off now.
Although he would never openly admit it, he did notice her chest get a bit bigger. At the end of the day, he was still a man... sue him for glancing at these things.
"You went to the beach without us?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Yep." He nodded without hesitation.
"You couldn't even wait for any of us to join." She shook her head.
"Ian wanted to go. Tell her, little man." He glanced back at the wagon.
"You want a sea shell?" Ian asked as he held up a shell.
"I would love a sea shell, thank you." She nodded before taking one and looking at it. It was shoved in her pocket and she simply walked next to them as they made their way back to the base.
"By the way, Brock and Simon are sending some new equipment. I think there's a few items for you." He said.
"I did personally request some more Longshot rounds." She tapped her chin.
"How much were they?" He asked.
"A thousand for each one." She answered.
"Why the fuck are they so much?" He asked.
"Bad word." Ian pointed.
"Sorry, buddy. It was a slip up." Walker apologized. He often watched his language around people that were younger than him, he learned his lesson one time when his dad nearly kicked his ass for cursing in front of Ajay.
"Custom rounds. They'll take the hat off a Locust two-thousand yards away. They're not cheap either." She said.
"No kidding." He snorted in amusement.
"When are we going back to base though?" She asked.
"Don't like it here?" He asked while adjusting his grip on Amiya. She had decided to tug the wagon and it freed up his other arm to hold the infant more comfortably.
"It's not that, but people look too soft around here. Not to mention I'm tired of people hitting on me. We've been here for what... a week? I've already had three people ask me out." She complained.
"That sucks. To answer your question though, you and Jaune are headed back to Vale with me next month." He said.
"Blake's not coming with us?" She asked.
"She's staying her for a minute. Spend some time with her family and all that business." He waved his hand.
"So who's being assigned to us?" She stretched a bit and popped her back. A dull crack was heard from her spine and she breathed in relief as they got closer to the base.
"Jessica." He answered.
"I thought she was assigned to Cardin's team?" She asked.
"She's rolling with us for a minute, at least for the time we're in Vale." He answered.
"So what are we doing there?" She asked.
"Patrolling, see whatever resource we can find, and hopefully get some clues as to who's running the show with the Locust." He answered.
"Alright." She said and the two of them simply walked. He just carried Amiya in his arms, letting her blue eyes soak up the colorful area surrounding them while she just dragged the wagon. They had to admit, it was a nice place to visit but they weren't too sure about living here. It was probably more clear as to why Blake left.
This place was too peaceful in his opinion.
Ghira and Kali watched from the desk as Blake worked on some documents on the couch at the coffee table. They simply stayed silent as she sorted through documents, looking at them carefully before writing on them. Neither one of them had really expected her to come back like this, it was odd seeing their daughter as an adult now rather than in her mid-teens.
They knew it was a mistake thinking the White Fang would take care of her, because they didn't. The group had grown more radical over the years ever since Khan took over, and they filled their daughter's head with poison. However, they knew she was better than that and decided to take her chances before she did anything radical. When she left that group, they felt joy and tried to bring her home.
Only for her to apply for Beacon and get rejected. As terrible as it sounded, they were glad she was and knew she'd never get in due to being part of the White Fang. They thought she'd come home after that, but she then stated that she wasn't and was going to continue forging her own path. Neither of them really had thought for even a second that she'd join what was essentially a mercenary group.
Their worries about her safety were justified when things started to worsen and then the Locust emerged to conquer the surface. A war of survival had erupted and whatever contact she had with them started to lessen with each passing week, and it continued like that up until several weeks ago when Vale fell. A sense of dread filled them when she went into detail on what happened.
When they heard she was back, they were ecstatic and were about to celebrate her return home but then the refugees started to pour in and things got busy. Luckily, a good portion of it all was handled and Ghira only needed to handle some things. The moment she returned home and they saw her face, they pulled her inside and essentially left her the person she was walking with outside.
It was embarrassing and both of them felt their faces burn up a bit when they found out that it was essentially her boss. Not only was it rude of them to ignore his existence, but they didn't even get to meet with him until a week later and caught him at a bad time. Something that they'd have to make up to him one day.
He was in the middle of training the newer recruits; physically, emotionally, and mentally breaking them down without a shred of mercy. They could only stand at the side as he held nothing back and while he didn't cuss often, he did throw slurs that made people bristle a bit. Just as they were about to talk to him, Blake came up to them and explained who he was.
Walker Ronin was the Lord Commander of one of the strongest factions on Remnant. He was possibly the most belligerent and headstrong leaders to have ever graced the world. Tales from the people that a man with a golden helmet, who fought with more ferocity than the new threat. His tactics were different; they didn't follow Remnant's rule when dealing with sentient enemies half the time and the weaponry his forces carried could rip a man in two within a few seconds.
When he met with them though, it was like meeting a different person. He was polite, much more than they anticipated, and even apologizing himself for not meeting with them sooner. When asked questions about the war, he didn't even bother lying to them. He gave them nothing but the truth regarding the war and his tone seemed to shift into a more morbid one.
He was a strange man, and something about him felt odd. It was like he didn't belong here and people could feel it whenever they were asked about him. He held this weird metaphorical aura that was like an anomaly and it made people have an unknown feeling course through their veins.
They were ripped out of their thoughts when a floating skull hovered in front of them, making them jump back. Its purple optics stared at them ominously and it drew closer before letting out a deep binary-like noise and grabbing a document off the desk with one of its claws. They watched it silently float back to Blake's side and hand it to her before floating next to her like a faithful companion.
"Blake... dear?" Kali called out.
"Yeah?" She looked over her shoulder and leaned on the back of the couch.
"Is that thing really necessary?" Kali pointed towards the drone.
"What's wrong with it?" Blake asked, making them go quiet for several seconds.
Neither of them could fathom what wasn't wrong with it, having a floating skull follow her around like a dog was a red flag on its own. That didn't include the fact that the thing wasn't unarmed either and it had enough firepower to level a tree. They didn't even want to get started on that creepy stare or the noises it let out every so often.
"A lot of people are a little intimidated by a floating skull." Ghira mentioned.
"It's harmless... for the most part." She gave them a reassuring smile.
"Where did you even get that?" Kali asked as she walked towards the couch and sat down. She tried to touch the floating skull but it hovered away from her, its metallic spine brushing against the couch cushion.
"Walker gave it to us." Blake answered, neatly stacking a pile of reports.
"He seems to give people a lot of things." He said.
"He does. The ones who deserve it at least." She responded. It was quiet and they all just sat in the silence, enjoying it for the time being. While she was busy in her work, they just glanced at each other then at her. Seeing her so grown up made their hearts swell a bit and it was nice to have her back, even if it was for a short while.
"Are you sure you can't stay longer?" Kali asked.
"No, I'm sorry. My job is kind of a big deal and I need to be there. He did give me another week and a half to spend with you two though." She said.
She had told them about her job, the importance of it and they could only stare at her. Never once in a million years did they think she'd be the Director of Intelligence for a private military company. Every single Gear respected her, not because of her bloodline but because she put forth the effort to establish herself as a leader and earned it. She had told them that it was an important job, but they didn't think it was this important.
When asked about some other things, they noticed she went silent. It was then did they realize that even if they were her parents, she wasn't going to leak any sensitive information. Which showed how serious she was about her job.
"This is a lot." Kali changed the subject and gestured towards the papers.
"This is nothing to be honest. Walker usually handles a lot more." Blake said.
"Does he now?" Ghira asked.
"It's not uncommon for me to find him up until three in the morning still doing work." She answered.
"He doesn't have staff members to do these things for him?" Kali asked.
"Oh, he does but he insists that he does it himself." Blake answered.
"I would assume it's a lot running a company as big as the Gears." Ghira nodded.
"Dad, you should see him work. He's a complete workaholic and it's almost a battle on its own to get him to take a break." She shook her head. The exasperated tone was evident in her voice and it would be hard to miss.
"He seemed to take a break the other day. You didn't mention he had children." Kali mentioned.
"He doesn't." Blake responded.
"Then who were those adorable children he was with?" Kali asked.
"It was one of our friends' son and granddaughter." Blake answered. She brought out her scroll and started to cycle through the videos before showing one where he was sitting on the couch with Amiya. Both of them were watching a cartoon; he was leaning against the couch cushion with his arms crossed while she was leaned back as well.
It was an adorable video in Kali's opinion while Ghira just stared at it blankly.
There was pounding at the front door and he left to go answer it, leaving the other two in the room. The minutes went by slowly and it turned to tens of minutes before he returned. He sighed in slight agitation and went to his desk while they just looked at him.
"What is it?" Kali asked.
"Sienna is here." He answered and neither of them Blake's expression sour considerably.
"What does she want?" She asked.
"She wants to try and see about entering the base. When I told her that I wasn't the one who was in charge of it, she started asking around with some of the other White Fang." He explained, bringing out some documents and reading them.
"Was Adam with her?" Blake asked suddenly. They just looked at her and noticed her expression change a bit, it looked more bitter and cynical. Both of them understood why she would ask that, considering she viewed Adam as an older brother figure. It was a mistake on their part for not keeping a better eye on him and keeping him away from Sienna's vicious claws.
"..." Ghira just nodded slowly.
"Is she still filling his head with poison?" She asked. Her tone started to shift as well and the tension in the room had begun to thicken so much it felt suffocating.
"We don't know." Kali said.
"Alright." Blake said before putting her folder in her bag. Just the mere mention of the vile woman's name was enough to put her in a foul mood and if she was given the chance, she'd kill her.
"You're leaving already?" Ghira asked.
"I'll finish the reports in my office." She said before stepping out of the room. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess at the sudden news and she needed some space. At first, she requested to stay longer to spend time with her parents, but now she was just going to leave with everyone else. She didn't feel like dealing with Khan and her followers.
While a part of her felt guilty for not persuading Adam to leave before he first took someone's life, she wasn't going to try and change him if he didn't want to. She wasn't a part of that group anymore, and never would be. There wasn't any reason for it to even exist anymore considering the monsters below didn't care. If they threatened everything that she helped build with Walker and Jaune, then she'd be the one to destroy it.
Even if it meant killing her estranged brother figure.
So here's another chapter for you all.
OmegaDelata: Thank you, and his response will come a bit later.
saitama1155: Thank you.
deezjagz: Can't say.
dominickwarcimaga666: Pretty much.
DOOMRAIDER: Good take on it.
Janny092: There's always room for improvement with this story.
Helljumper206: Pretty much.
Hunkzombie: Negative or at least not yet.
Guest: De nada.
Toasta: Yeah, I've actually been improving a bit. Last semester took a toll on me.
Laplase: You're welcome.
Ferno16: You're welcome, here's another chapter.
LiquidusSnake: They are kind of ugly, aren't they? I forgot where I saw it, but someone redesigned it and it actually looked a lot better.
IX404: Thank you.
Fanfictionreader2019: Yeah, It's a habit of mine. Have to push myself, but not to the point of exhaustion.
Guest: Might do that one day.
Atlas073: Thank you, here's another chapter.
So I think I'm just going to go with the flow with this story. It's been working so far and there's no point in changing the course I have in mind. Not to mention, it's enjoyable writing like this as opposed to my previous version. I don't have much to say other than thank you to those who simply enjoy it, remembering that it's just a decent read at the end of the day.
Anyways, see ya.