Prologue

YEAR 2298. Tertawa Highlands.

Final days of Ataria

The alarms of the Tertawa fortress wailed loudly through the mountains. The fortress itself having been all but reduced to fire and debris by the Grimm Forces, who began to move in from both air and pass below. A voice came up over the intercom.

"All Personal! Grimm have breached the base! Proceed to the Landing zone for Evacuation! Final transport departing in five minutes!"

As the base finished it's evacuation, Qrow and Raven tried to hold back the Grimm. Blocked several purple plasma bolts from the Grimm with their swords, deflecting it back at them. Covering the remaining Ataria troops and personal as they rushed to the transports. The Grimm themselves were closing in on them very slowly but surely. Overwhelming the remaining forces who fought desperately to hold them back.

Qrow leaned out of the way of a plasma bolt fired by a Grimm. He groaned.

"There's too many of them! They better hurry up with the evacuation!" He exclaimed to his sister.

Raven slashed one of the Grimm with her swords before feeling her scroll vibrate at her side.

Raven pulled out her scroll, clicking it open. Over the screen, the contact was revealed to be Vester, one of her students.

"Professor Branwen!" He said on the other end.

"Vester, we can't hold the Grimm back for long!" Raven asked, quickly taken cover behind some debris.

"What's your status on the evacuation?!"

There was a sudden explosion close to where she hid. Causing her to duck down behind cover.

"We're all good here! Everyone has been accounted for!" Vester said, much to her relief.

"We're boarding the last transports now!"

Raven nodded her head.

"Copy that. You and the other get aboard one of the transports." Raven instructed him.

"We'll be right behind you!"

Before he could say anything more, Raven shut her scroll and sheathed it to her side. Qrow came up from the side, firing the harbinger that was currently in it's short gun form.

"Qrow, Now, Now!" She exclaimed to him.

Qrow nodded her head to her as she turned and ran toward the airfield. Qrow then glanced back at the remaining Atarian troopers.

"Fall Back!" He exclaimed, moving back as he continued to fire the Harbinger.

Several of the Atarian Gunships had lifted off from the launch pads before flying off toward the Atarian fleet above. Qrow and Raven ran toward the two final Gunships, who were preparing to take off. There were several explosion which erupted nearby from the advancing Grimm Forces and the fighters that flew over head. The two sibling narrowed down as several specks and pieces of debris flew at them.

"Keep going!" Qrow exclaimed to his sister.

Coming up to the first Gunship, they quickly leaped through the open doorway. Peering through the opposites side entrance, Raven saw Vester and her other students boarded the other gunship. Much to her relief. Qrow came up into the cockpit to the two pilots.

"We're all here! Go! Go!" He ordered.

"Copy that!" The Pilot said, pressing the button which closed both the side entrances.

From the outside, slowly the gunships rose from the landing pads. They then turned and flew off from the fortress. Just as several Grimm troopers emerged to the fortresses airfield. Upon seeing the last two gunships lifting off, he then turned to the troopers behind him.

"(Bring up the Launcher! Shoot them Down!)" He ordered within his own language.

One of the Grimm troopers came up, holding a large plasma launcher over their shoulder. He then kneeled down and aimed the launcher at the Gunship that was flying behind the first. Over the visor, he waited for the the four triangles to line up, signifying a clear shot. He then pulled the trigger, firing a plasma shot at the transport above.

The Gunship carrying Raven's students was suddenly struck from behind by the plasma shot. The transport then suddenly erupted within a massive fiery explosion. One that had rattled the other with it's sudden impact.

The inside of the Gunship shook violently. Only to then settle but a moment later. Qrow and Raven looked back through the window of the doorway, where she saw the burning wreckage of the other gunship, falling to the mountains below. Raven stared in shock and horror.

"No..." She said.

Qrow simply turned away, closing his eyes as he uttered a sigh of contempt.

The Gunship flew up toward the feet above just before it began to withdraw from the realm.

Raven stood facing the window in the lounging area of the ship. Staring out of the window at the rest of the fleet souring through the sea of stars, battered and damaged from their recant battles with the Grimm. The war was becoming more and more grave in these few months. The Grimm had broken through the last line of defense and had now entered into their kingdom's territory. It would only be a matter of time before they would be at the very walls of Ataria itself.

And what was worse... the students she had taught for many years had been lost to the ravages of war. Meeting the same fate as Qrow's and so many other student from the Academy. The war was already beginning to take it's toll upon their Kingdom as it had all the other realms.

Raven closed her eyes, narrowing her head. It was right at that moment, Qrow came up to her from behind. students.

"Raven?" He asked.

Raven hardly noticed. She only continued to face forward as he head then narrowed. Seeing his sister grieving over the loss of her students, Qrow uttered a sigh. Losing the students that they had loved and cared for, it was almost the same as losing their own children. Even now, Qrow had been burden with the loss and guilt of when he had lost Kayla, Johnathan and Jayden.

He then glanced up and came up next to her.

"There was nothing you could have done for them." Qrow proclaimed to her.

Raven closed her eyes, turning away from her brother.

"Don't... just don't..." Raven said, glancing to the side.

Qrow turned to her.

"Raven..." He said.

Only for Raven to then shake her head, wishing not to hear anything more. Nor wishing to hear any excuses for her actions. She had brought them into this war, knowing that she was not ready. Their deaths were her doing.

"They weren't ready. We knew they weren't ready for this war." Raven proclaimed to her.

"And we just sent them to their deaths."

Qrow nodded his head in agreement.

"I just heard from command. The council has already issued that this years students attend the academy next month." He insisted to her.

Raven sullen expression suddenly shift to that of shocked. Raising her now gaze of awe to meet her brothers.

"What...?" She gasped.

Qrow's nod to her question all but confirmed what she had feared to be true.

"Yeah... Ataria is desperate for more Knights. Especially with how the war is going." Qrow proclaimed to her.

"I guess that means Yang will attending the academy sooner then we thought."

Raven felt her heart sink at the notion of her daughter attending the academy. Especially at this time, when the Grimm had broken through their lines and entered into Atraia's territory. While she wished not for her daughter to be used by the Kingdom as canon fodder. Now at this very time, when the Grimm were closing in on their very Kingdom.

She turned back to Qrow.

"No... no... they can't do that..." Raven argued.

Qrow narrowed his head. Much like his sister, he resented the Kingdom's decision for rushing the training of the Kingdom's future knights. But these were different times. The Realms were at war with the Grimm once more. And now with the loss of the Tertawa fortress, things have become desperate for their realm.

"There's not much of a choice anymore. The War is now at our Kingdom's doorsteps." Qrow reminded her.

"We need all the help we can get at this point. Especially now."

Raven squinted her eyes in disbelief at her brother. She couldn't believe what he had said.

"Do you hear yourself?" Raven said, shaking her head.

"The Kingdom are about to send Children to their deaths and you are just willing to go along with it?!"

"I never said I was okay with it, Raven. But there's no other choice!" Qrow argued.

"Or did you not hear me mention this is a war?"

"So your willing to sacrifice your own Niece for a war you know well is lost?!" Raven exclaimed to him.

"I'm willing to do what it takes to protect our Kingdom and the Realms! To protect our people!" Qrow proclaimed to his sister.

"Regardless if I like what it asks of me!"

Raven only stared at him with the same look of contempt and disbelief.

"Your starting to sound like Lukas and Kallius!" Raven insisted to her brother.

Qrow paused for a moment. The notion that he was beginning to sound like Lukas and Kallius already seemed apparent to him. Much to the idea making him obsoletely want to to shoot himself. He then groaned, shaking his head.

"Look... like I said, I'm not on board with the situation either. But this is for the good of our Kingdom..." Qrow insisted to his sister.

"Remember our oath, Raven. Our loyalty is to our Kingdom. Just think about what I said."

With that, Qrow turned and walked back toward the entrance. Leaving his sister to ponder his words and hopefully come to come to the reality of their situation. The very one that he himself struggled to come to terms with himself. Or so he had hoped she would.

For as he took his leave, Raven took a stern glance back at her brother. Only for when the door to close behind him, she would then narrow her eyes, frowning. The Oath she had taken when she had became a Knight, to serve and protect the people of Ataria, having to grow to doubt it in these recent months. Especially now that I asked her to sacrifice her own daughter.

"I already have, Qrow..." She said, shifting her back toward the fleet itself.

"I just hope you can forgive me... for what I'm about to do."