Summary: Establishing himself in the Atlas Military, Lelouch slowly makes a name for himself. As a low-ranking officer, he keeps his eyes and ears out for anything useful. Rumors of a team of huntresses operating in the kingdom's shadows catch his interest.
2 months after initial arrival.
The hum of Manta engines filled the landing zone of the Mantle loading docks, as Atlesian soldiers marched and loaded cargo onto several airships. Amongst the busy dock workers and soldiers was Lelouch, staring down the scroll in his hand.
With no Aura to shield him from the biting chill of Solitas, he had changed his wardrobe accordingly, adorning the standard Atlesian soldier combat gear, modified with advanced heat-insulating technology. Over the armor Lelouch wore a heavy white leathered, fur trench coat, the fabric sleek and tailored perfectly for his body type, along with an upgraded common Atlesian helmet that completely hid his appearance, installed with a secret hatch that would allow him to use his power if needed.
Of course, all this was acquired with a little 'persuasion' to the branch of RD who created the technology, making his outfit unique compared to the normal soldiers, but not one that stood out too much for unwanted suspicion.
Swiping through the report sent to his device, he took note of the mission's details: an incursion by White Fang radicals near one of Atlas' many mining towns, located far to the south of Mantle.
All he and his battalion needed to do was ride into town and suppress the would-be attackers. That much was child's play, as the radical group wasn't particularly strong, the attack seemingly driven by impulse and arrogance rather than any strategic value.
Hearing footsteps approaching, he ignored them until they decided on when they'd make their presence known, a small power play on his part if anything.
"So, you're Lelouch Lamperouge?" The stranger started as she came to a stop a few feet from him.
He finally glanced her way, finding the source of the interruption to be a beautiful woman with light blonde hair and violet eyes. Her attire and demeanor suggested she was a well-regarded and veteran huntress, as did the others who approached, and she held herself in a firm but unchallenging manner.
"Or should we call you Captain?" She continued with a curious hum, crossing her arms.
Tapping his finger on the side of his scroll, he pocketed the device, taking in the woman with a slight cock of the head and a vaguely bemused smirk. He knew very well who she was and her history, having read up extensively on the top huntsmen and huntresses within Atlas, especially those who tried to change the kingdom.
Robyn Hill, leader of the Happy Huntresses. An avid supporter for the betterment of all Mantle's people. He hadn't expected to be meeting with her just yet, but nothing in this life seemed to come without unexpected circumstances.
" Captain for now..." he answered simply, meeting the women's eyes.
"Well. Well," she gave a nod, a look of intrigue appearing on her face as the other two flanked her. "For now? I guess our friend here wants to rise through the ranks as quickly as possible." she glanced between the two huntresses beside her and then turned back to the captain, "Tell me, Captain, how do you plan on doing that?"
"...As efficiently as I possibly can."
Looking mildly intrigued, Robyn hummed. "Ambitious I see. Well, congratulations on that. No easy feat when everything seems to be crashing down around us."
The other two huntresses traded a look, the larger one Joanna Greenleaf, if he recalled right, gesturing her head to crates behind him and giving the signal for the faunus of the team to go look but keeping her eyes firmly on the new officer in front of Robyn.
Running past Lelouch, Fiona Thyme bounded over to the crates, giving Lelouch a quick look and a cautious sniff before carrying out her teammates' request.
"Can't help but see you're packing a lot of supplies onto those ships over there, Captain," she observed, giving him a sharp gaze. "Big mission?"
"Big enough," was all he replied. "As per the regulation, I cannot divulge more beyond that."
Raising an eyebrow at the casual and brief nature of the answer, she sighed. "Of course, how silly of me. Guess they've been cracking down on information sharing, huh?"
Looking over his shoulder she saw Fiona opening up a crate and turning back to her team. The sheep-featured huntress's eyes went wide, "Dust! These are Dust rounds, and a lot of them too."
Nodding her thanks, she turned back to Lelouch, "I've been keeping an ear to the ground, Captain; I know this is your fifth mission in two weeks, and each outing has had the same frequency of supply shipments. Supplies that could do the people of Mantle a bit more good, if you don't mind me saying," her tone turning mildly confrontational.
"Robyn Hill, I assure you that our efforts will ensure the safety of everyone under the control of Atlas and her territories. Even when not in battle, we soldiers do not abandon the citizens." He tried to not sound rehearsed, but his tone of practiced calmness was not lost on the huntress leader, whose eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Safety, huh?" she frowned. "Yeah, a lot of folks here in Mantle would beg to differ. Especially when it seems like every other day, there's some kind of Grimm infestation, and we're supposed to sit tight, nice, and patient while the high and mighty of Atlas continue their damn social climb at a time when we're vulnerable..."
A somewhat harsh, yet reasonable remark. Atlas' had its priorities. Their actions have not helped endear Mantle and their citizens to the kingdom, so to expect the lower kingdom to have trust in them was optimistic at best.
Lelouch remained unchanged, simply raising an eyebrow, then tilting his head, his helm filtering the movement. "Trust me," he began coolly. "I understand your worries, Miss. Hill. However, please, don't mistake me for General Ironwood or anyone in his inner circle. I am but a simple soldier."
Her demeanor cooled and softened a bit, "Even still," she sighed, looking tired in the face. "Atlas' reputation certainly hasn't done you all any favors." She didn't deny the soldier's claim. He seemed to, at the very least, appear genuine enough to hear her out and talk calmly rather than with an over-abundance of blind patriotism like many others.
"...Hmm. Yes." His response sounded just a tad wistful, though hidden by his helmet. It was all Robyn managed to pick up from his voice.
"Captain, we're ready to mobilize," came a voice to his side, causing him and Robyn to snap to. A soldier walked up to him, giving a salute, which he returned curtly. "Thank you, sergeant, I'm on my way."
Turning back to the leader of the Happy Huntresses, he placed his hands on his hips. "As you've probably guessed by now, I don't have much more time left before I need to board my ship. I suppose this is our goodbye, Miss Hill. Good luck to you and the huntresses. Your support and expertise have never gone unnoticed." He took a step backward.
"Captain..." she trailed off as the masked officer stopped in his tracks and looked back. "You probably see Ironwood more than anyone here in Mantle. So maybe if you can... relay a message?" she asked slowly, somewhat unsure at asking such a thing from this man, despite his cordial approach towards them.
His hesitation was noticeable as his gaze drifted toward the two airships hovering in place a little distance from the loading docks before he silently inclined his head.
Her shoulders eased a bit."Tell him not to forget about Mantle," her jaw clenched slightly at the words.
Nodding, Lelouch pivoted towards the soldier awaiting his command, walking away. As he stalked toward his transport, his hands clasped behind him, his shoulders squaring and his stride adopting a confident bearing.
"You think a guy like him will even bother to tell Ironwood?" Joanna grumbled, eyeing the captain and walking away.
"He might not," Robyn admitted as her attention slid towards her. "But, whether he will or not... something about that Captain just struck a chord. He felt... more receptive," she admitted softly, mostly to herself as she pondered what might happen. "It was... worth a shot at least. Now come on, Mary's waiting."
"Captain, enemy forces are moving through the east tunnels just like you predicted. ETA three minutes. Over," came a soldier's voice through his radio.
Standing just on the outskirts of the small mining town, the young man viewed the holographic display depicting a miniature map, blue dots representing themselves, and red dots for the opposing force, moving in accordance with the orders given.
"Excellent P2, I want you and your team covering the north tunnel. B2 and R1 will guard the south." Lelouch started briskly, a squad standing next to him as the other soldiers moved to fulfill their orders.
"P5, are the charges prepped and in place as I asked?" he said into the intercom, already anticipating the confirmation.
"Sir, they are, Sir," P5 answered with an eagerness he could sense through the microphone.
"Good work, P5; once our targets are separated, fire at will. Do you copy? Over."
"Loud and clear, Sir, loud and clear," P5 remarked, confirming the plan with relish.
Watching the Red dots converging, it was obvious the opposing force wasn't exactly working with an efficient strategy. Still, their numbers were rather considerable, he thought as his gaze lingered, watching them navigate the narrow and confined mines.
"...And here we go," Lelouch muttered, fingers hovering just over the detonator as his subordinate began reporting the Red dots nearing their designated kill zones.
Once a good number of red dots had passed the threshold of where his charges were buried beneath the surface, he didn't wait one second more and immediately triggered the explosives with the flick of a switch.
Mine collapsing and cutting the group into two halves, panic, and surprise began running through the mob as P5 and his men leaped into action, taking aim and opening fire.
"B1, P6. Head toward the west tunnels and engage the other half of the group. Do not let them group back together." He ordered, glancing at his screen and nodding in satisfaction that their plan had worked perfectly.
"With pleasure, Cap." P6 crackled through his speaker, a blip representing the man and his team appearing just at the westernmost entry of the mines.
Knowing his men were capable of cleaning things up, Lelouch stepped towards the town's square, where the town's mayor waited. He was a scrawny little man, but he stood strong as he approached Lelouch. "T-thank you for coming, Captain! That group has been harassing our town for months, it's a relief to have them taken care of."
Offering a courteous nod, Lelouch responded calmly. "It's no problem, mayor. As always, we're simply doing our part for the greater good."
"Yes, I but I do hope no damage was incurred to the mines!" the mayor rushed to add. "With the kingdom putting increased pressure on us regarding dust output, the last thing we need is another issue to take-"
"The majority of the mine tunnels have remained structurally stable despite the explosives," Lelouch assured the small-statured mayor, who sagged in relief. "Aside from a pathway that connected east and west tunnels, there should be no significant issues when the clean-up crew arrives, so the operations will carry on smoothly," he said, lowering his scroll and pocketing the device.
"Excellent! Perfect, it's great to know Atlas isn't shortchanging us here, not that they were," he chuckled, realizing how that probably sounded. "It's just with how these incidents and recent events are happening, makes it hard to feel secure in our productivity levels."
"Right..." Lelouch turned, stopping when he noticed a figure overlooking the town from a nearby cliff. With the attire and build of someone with huntsmen experience, his gaze sharpened, focusing in on the stranger.
"Say..." Lelouch began, pointing at her. "Who is that?" he asked.
Taking in Lelouch's interest, the mayor tilted his head slightly when nothing else caught his eye. "Uh.. I'm not sure what you mean, Captain. Could you be more specific...?" the mayor asked in confusion, glancing from Lelouch to the cliff where he was staring and then back to the mask-covered officer.
"That woman over..." Trailing off, he cocked his head to the side. Indeed the figure was no longer there. "I swear... I saw something. Just above that cliff, looked like a huntress standing over the edge..." Lelouch said.
"Hmm...Oh!" The mayor clapped his hands, shaking his head. "Might've been one of those ladies from Team BRIR. Probably wondering if we're gonna pay for their services today, hah," he gave an amused shake of his head.
"Team BRIR?" he echoed, snapping his attention back. He was more curious now.
"Yeah, they're a group of rogue Huntress huntresses who help those that need aid...for coin." The mayor nodded to himself.
"Mercenaries, you say?" Lelouch pressed for further information, clearly intrigued.
"Something of the sort, yes. If you wanna meet with them and hire 'em you're out of luck. They appear when they appear."
Falling silent, Lelouch's hand lifted to his chin. There was potential in this discovery. As his men rounded up any White Fang captives and began heading to their dropships to return to base, Lelouch considered if an opportunity lay before him.
Author's Notes: I'll be using characters and ideas from RWBY Arrowfell. While not a great game, it adds a lot of lore and details to the kingdom of Atlas.