The hum of antigravity engines filled the air as the very sun was slowly blotted out under the weight of the newest arrivals on the block. Major Deriabin watched the display of power ahead of her with quiet disregard, simply staring up at them while her troops, though they maintained a steady formation, whispered to one-another about the excessive arrivals.
The Military of the Kingdom of Atlas displayed the full might of the First Air Fleet ahead of them. Three Atlesian Air Ships, vessels armed with heavy laser batteries and a few secondary weapons, hovered overhead in formation, their bay doors opening to deploy several heavily-armed Dropships. Sammy, who was right beside her, hands behind her back, murmured, "Talk about overkill…"
"Broadcasting power to the enemy," Nastiya mumbled as she saw the rest of the Misfits form up with the unit, including their newly-acquired member, Oriel, whom the Major was happy to see alive. The kid was kindhearted and thrust into the middle of a conflict he had no business being in, kind of like all of them.
"Yeah, but that's blatantly just compensating," Ayesha joked as she joined the forwardmost rank of the formation with them. The rest of the central component of the Misfits did, too, with the Toma and Nemeth Twins both letting out short laughs at the jokes as they watched a dropship dip down toward the Landing Pad ahead.
Lita spoke, "Much as I wanna disagree with you all, all I can say is pipe the hell down before we piss him off," in a low voice as she stared ahead. When the door to the drop-ship opened, it revealed a well-dressed man clad in a white uniform, blue jacket under a white, armored trenchcoat, a glove on his right hand, red tie and a lot of other details. The faint outline of a revolver could be seen on the left side of the man.
He had a sharp jaw, black hair that greyed at the sides and was cut to military standard and a bandage on the top-right of his forehead. Behind him, troops clad in light ballistic armor with almost full-cover helmets stepped provided escort, toting boxy-looking science-fiction-y rifles and sidearms. One of the soldiers had red accents on his armor, another had blue and the rest bore mostly white.
He approached the formation of troops and cracked a small smile, before saluting them and stating, "The Misfits, I presume," only to get quick salutes back from the entire present force. He extended his left hand to the Major and said, "I'm General James Ironwood. Ozpin only had good things to say about you all. And it's good to see someone finally talk some sense into him to get Vale an army."
Major Deriabin hummed, then gripped and shook, feeling a little weird about it being the left hand, before she replied, "For as long as there are tyrants in the world, let our blades remain sharp and our will, unwavering," which caused the man to pause, a bit surprised. While the other Misfits cast a glance her way, she chuckled and said, "Apologies, General. I am Major Deriabin and these are my comrades, Lieutenant Lee and company," then she motioned to the group at the front and quipped, "The Headmaster spoke highly of you, as well. As for getting Vale a Military, we come from lands where it is a necessity to have an armed contingent of fighting men and women, so…"
"Ozpin also mentioned your 'otherworldly' places of birth, courtesy of all the information he got out of the first few members," Ironwood offered, "It's interesting to meet actual aliens… And a bit terrifying most of you are humans," while eyeing Sammy, who snorted as her wolf tail perked up. He checked his wristwatch just as another dropship touched down not far behind them. He saw their confusion, then said, "Oh, right… I don't think Ozpin got to mention Atlas has its own PMC to keep up."
"What?" Vic blinked, then looked past him with Vesna. Before long, however, Ves started hyperventilating, which caused him to turn into a hound dog as he focused on the new arrival. He paused, noticing a familiar emblem. A crosshair with a skull in the middle, outlined by a blue stripe and the words 'Walküre' outlined below. The familiarity with the symbol caused a chill to shoot up his spine as he saw the soldiers, clad in combat uniforms resembling Russian gear and carrying AKs, step forward.
"... Son of a fucking bitch," Lita murmured under her breath. The platoon ahead marched forward with their leader, a young gentleman with blue eyes, walking up beside General Ironwood. He was sleeveless and clad in a standard Crye Precision plate carrier with all the bells and whistles, plus that patch plastered across the carrier's chest, right beside his name in English.
The officer stopped in front of the Russians, beaming and stating, "I'll be damned. I didn't expect to see tavarische here, especially after so long. Almost thought me and my boys were the only ones to make it to this side of the Afterlife," before he cast a glance over toward Vesna, Ayesha and Lita. The latter two tensed, grips tightening around their rifles, while Vic took a step in front of Vesna, putting a hand between her and the man and glaring right back at him, eyes burning with fury.
"... Something the matter?" Ironwood asked, blatantly oblivious as he looked at the Major. She and Sam both looked like they were about to rip someone's throat out. Sofia, the Ukrainian SSO operative behind them, visibly grinded her teeth while Dushman was keeping her back. He hummed, reading the 'room' and mumbling, "I'm guessing you have history."
"You could fucking say that," Lita growled, "How's the Summer in Atlas, Captain? I hope it's just as cold as the grave…"
"Junior Sergeant Tarasova… Different tact in front of our officers, please," Nastiya spoke, her voice sharp and cold as ice while Ironwood stared at Lita first, then at the panicking Vesna, who was trembling while in the embrace of an extremely vigilant would-be-husband. She looked at the General, not the Captain, and spoke, "We've had a bit of an issue with the Captain and his men in our world, while cooperating on a mission. If Vesna and her friends and husband wish to explain it-"
The man waved his hand and said, "By all means, Major, let them be angry. It is fully deserved after all," before letting out a sigh, "I deeply apologize for the conduct of my men during our 'cooperation', however. And I assure you, they're reined in," and he looked at Vesna, cracking a smirk, "Whole revival changed their outlook on a few things."
Vic put himself between the trembling girl and the man and snarled, "Clearly not enough for all of us," before looking at the Major and asking, "Ma'am, are we dismissed? I'd like to take Vesna out of here…" all while noticing the rest of their fireteam were basically wound up like attack dogs. The Major gave a nod of approval, then looked at a tense Samantha and raised a brow. Lieutenant Lee shook her head, then gave a chop of the hand for the entire command squad to move out.
As they walked away, General Ironwood stared at the Major and asked, "... Is that gonna be a problem? I've brought my men here to help ensure the safety of the Vytal festival," to which the Major wordlessly shook her head, trying to be as respectful as possible. She showed them to follow over to Beacon Tower, where Ozpin was certainly waiting for them.
As they walked, the Major sighed and whispered, "You should go with your team, Sam. I and my team can handle this," to which the young woman yet again shook her head. Deriabin asked, "Am I gonna have to make it an order?" and got a raised brow, but a still-determined gaze. Sighing, she nodded in understanding and said, "Very well…"
As they reached the tower, the captain of the Valkyrie squad motioned to his men to move back to the ship, while Ironwood did the same for his troops. They entered the Tower and then the elevator without saying a word, Ironwood visibly awkward about the whole situation while his little PMC Captain remained relatively calm, tapping his foot against the steel floor. Both Nastiya and Sam glared back at him, quietly demanding that he stop and, much to their surprise, he did.
When the elevator reached the top level and Ozpin's headquarters, Ironwood cracked a smile as he saw two familiar faces. He stepped out first, opening his arms in a greeting and stating, "Ozpin… It's certainly been a while since we last spoke to each-other, especially considering the whole military development over here."
"General," The man replied with a degree of trying to distance himself.
"Oh, come on. Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Ironwood quipped, then watched Glynda walking past and said, "And Glynda… Certainly been too long since I've seen you," with a bit of a sly smile and a certain tone to his voice that made Sam and Nastiya at least crack a smirk, despite their visibly dour demeanors. Ozpin had noticed it, too, and he felt like it had something to do with the other person in Earth tactical gear.
"James," Glynda greeted him back with a sharp tongue and visible disinterest, then turned to Ozpin and said, "I'm going to go back to classes-" before pausing and lifting her Scroll up as it dinged. She sighed and walked off, letting the elevator door shut behind her. Ironwood let out a disappointed sigh at that, but then walked to meet Ozpin, shaking his hand.
"I didn't suppose you'd come by so soon, James," Ozpin offered, then motioned to the seats in front of his desk and made eye contact with the Walküre officer behind him and his face visibly shifted into one of discomfort. He also saw the two officers of Vale's own PMC nodding to him, clearly understanding said discomfort. He said, "I also didn't think you would make your own PMC, when you have a military."
Ironwood replied, "I figured it'd be a good idea to back your deniable operations force up with my own and these gentlemen just happened to be within reach," before he looked back and said, "This is captain Kolya Stolypin. Walküre Private Military Contractor group," to which the man wordlessly snapped a salute, grinning. Ironwood added, "Going by what your troops said, they've met the man and his force."
"Huh," Ozpin hummed, scratching his chin, "Interesting. I'll have a talk with them later, in private…" before tapping a few buttons on his own Scroll and urging the Lieutenant, Major and Captain forward. He put the kettle with his favorite hot chocolate in front of them alongside a few mugs, then said, "Please. Might as well stay warm while we talk things out…"
"Thank you, sir," The Major spoke, then cast a glance at the captain and said, "I have a request, however. To both you and the General," all while keeping her eyes locked onto her fellow Russian. He looked at her and raised a brow. She was talking to Ozpin, whom she saw give a gentle wave of the hand for the Go-Ahead. She turned her head again to look at the two man and told them, "Keep them away from my men and women for both their safety and ours, please…" with the most spine-chillingly cold tone any of the people present had ever heard.
Though it made Ironwood visibly tense, the Captain to their right didn't even flinch, while headmaster Ozpin simply replied, "Of course…" and looked at James. The General saw a look in Ozpin's eyes. A familiar look, the kind that would make even Salem reconsider her next actions three times over. He gave a nod of approval, to which the Major breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you. Let's carry on, then…"
Misfits' Abode
As they entered the house, the first one to show any kind of emotion to the situation was, much to nobody's surprise, Sofia. Stomping inside, she kicked a chair down from the table and started swearing up a storm in Ukrainian, with Dushman, Gibby and his girlfriend, Marcia, understanding just about every single word of that long-winded tirade. The others did, too, going by the movements of her hands and the uninterrupted string of curses.
She only stopped to breathe when she cocked her fist back and punched a wall, hitting one of the concrete support pillars of the house and grabbing her hand. Taking in a deep breath and gritting her teeth, she rubbed her injured mumbled, "Motherfucking pieces of shit. Walking sacks of human waste just landed with someone who's supposed to be our ally, saying they turned another leaf like we're supposed to believe them… Does that moron general not know who the fuck he hired!?"
Dushman put a hand on hers and said, "Relax, Sofi. Let's get you some ice for that hand…" though he was none too happy about this development either. He walked her over to the fridge, noting only slight swelling that the Aura was quickly healing. Both of them looked over to the left, though, as Vic walked in, holding a trembling, pallid Vesna close and bringing her over to the couch as slowly and gently as possible.
"I know this is gonna sound like the most asshole thing to come out of my mind in years, but I'm gonna need everyone to calm down. I don't like seeing a Ruski PMC any more than you all do," Robert said as he took his gear off, his voice impassive. He crossed his hands to his chest and continued, "But I don't want anyone going to jail because of it. Let's focus on the more important matters," and he looked at Vic. As his expression softened slightly, he asked the Romanian, "Does she need anything, man? Food, water, something to calm down?"
Vic shook his head, unsure, while Lita, Ayesha and Vera also joined him in trying to comfort her. As the girl continued to shake violently. The Romanian gunner held her as she curled up in his arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. He patted her head gently and let her simply hold on to him, her fingers digging into his shirt, pulling at it.
"That has to be the most violent reaction I've seen to seeing Ruskies," Marcia spoke, her South-American accent thick, barely identifiable. She leaned to the side, against the wall, then asked, "What could even trigger a panic attack this bad?" to which the entire crew looked over to Lita, Ayesha and Vera. Hassan, Aleks, Alex, Jim, Anja and Saila all seemed distraught by the sight of one of the strongest and friendliest of the pack being reduced to a panic-stricken little girl. Alexi, meanwhile, stood guard at the door, visibly worried. Nicole was there, too, wondering…
Lita sighed deeply, then watched Vic simply peck the blonde on the forehead and say, "Hon… It's okay. You're safe here. You're with us…" as he took her hand. She swallowed, then nodded, seemingly willing herself to become calm. Before long, the shakes and shivers turned into a mild, simple shake, attenuated by Vic being right next to her.
Vicky looked at Paula, who stared worriedly, then leaned over and asked her, "You look like you know that reaction, P…"
"I do… Too well," She replied in a whisper, then felt her brother's heavy hand land on her shoulder while Kat gave her a reassuring smile. She gave it a pat and nodded, to which Vicky let out a breath. She'd seen similar reactions before, from some of the young women in the Orphanage. Too many of them, in fact. A fate she'd never had to truly endure up-close… And that single thought made her stomach turn.
Lita said, "Vesna. I don't wanna sound like a cunt, but… You know you should tell everyone what happened now. Or if you'd rather do it in private, with just Vic, we'll understand. But you need to get it off your chest now and talk to us. It's the only way we can help," only to see the girl straighten up and shake her head.
Though her voice cracked, she wiped away the tears from her eyes and replied, "I'm gonna talk…" before looking at the others, still faintly shaking. She put on a brave face, so to speak, then looked to Lita and Ayesha and asked them, "If I break down mid-explanation, continue for me, please…" to which the two nodded.
She breathed in, took Vic's hand, then started, "... You all know we served in the Ukraine War up to the end. That's no secret…" before looking at Sofia apologetically. The girl waved it off, looking at her and nodding for her to continue. Ves nodded, swallowed nothingness, then sighed and continued, "... Near the end, when we were stationed as a rearguard unit outside of Bakhmut, we had those bastards on our flank…"
She shivered a little, grip tightening on Vic's hand, as she continued, "We tried to keep to the rules we were taught while operating in KFOR… Prisoners of war are to be treated fairly, fed, civilians protected, that kind of thing. The news and reports from the Front also made people aware how their Contractors were the polar opposite… Prisoners, rapists, murderers and petty criminals…"
"Well," She started shaking a bit more, "As we were on guard duty, taking care of Ukrainian POWs… A few of them, namely Captain Stolypin himself and his little merry band walked up to me and demanded that I let them through to 'deal with the prisoners'. Obviously, I didn't," and she started going pale again. Vic squeezed her hand to try and show her she could stop if she wanted to. She smiled weakly at him, then sighed and continued, "... They attacked me… And I got overpowered… A-and… And…" her voice cracked. She started weeping again, Vic wrapping his arms around her.
"They were trying to do what Wagner and most Conscript troops of ours were known for," Lita continued in Vesna's stead, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder, "... The only treatment they see fit for women who disobey them, rather obviously…" then she grit her teeth and added, "Thankfully, I and Ayesha managed to reach them before anything worse than groping occurred. We told them to back off, they drew guns on us and we shot them dead," before looking at Vic and stating, "They never got to do anything to her. I'm going to reiterate… She's physically fine. Those rat fucks did not get to do anything to her."
"It'd still traumatize anyone, though," Ayesha spoke, then paused as she saw Vic's face turn into a mask of stone, eyes wide. He stared into nothingness for a moment, holding Vesna and letting her cry. She continued with half-a-mouth, "We slept in shifts and kept each-other safe ever since. And their troops never tried it again. We managed to save her…"
"Victor?" Victoria asked, staring at her brother as he seemed to be contemplating this as the room suddenly dropped to below freezing temperatures. He gently handed Vesna to Lita to keep comforting her, stood up and walked toward the door like he had a mission, hand wrapping around the grip of his Glock. Robert, who was still near the door, saw this and grabbed his hand while the others rushed over to try and stop him. Vera was the only one who didn't, simply sitting and comforting her sister with an apologetic look.
"Vic!" Robert barked, "Where the fuck do you think you're going!?"
"... Taking out the trash…" He replied coldly, glaring back toward Robert and the others, a glare that sent a chill up just about everyone's spines. Paul helped hold him in place by his other hand, but the Romanian soldier tried to wrench himself free. He barked, "Let me go, god dammit…" his voice like a beastly growl, "Fucking let me go!" and he tried again to yank himself free.
"No!" Robert barked back, yanking him and pinning his hand against the kitchen island, "I get you're fucking pissed, Toma, but listen to me! If you go and shoot those bastards now, Ironwood might throw your ass in jail without even bothering to ask. And what are you gonna do then?!" then he tilted his head to Vesna and demanded, "Leave her alone to deal with them?!"
The soldier struggled a bit more, but Paul joined in and said, "The only thing we have is our word, Vic. Rob's right. We'll gather evidence and take it to Ironwood. You know these pricks, they'll slip enough times to give us ammunition to deal with them. And when we do?" all as he looked one of his best friends in those same cold emerald eyes he'd only seen in a picture after Vesna's death back home. The Romanian looked around, still slightly pinned by Robert, and saw the same fire burning in his friends' gazes as did in his heart…
"Fuck's sake," Vic sighed as he wrested his hand free. He moved it away from the pistol, crossing both arms to his chest and stated, "Fine… But they're staying as bloody fucking far away from her as possible," before he walked over to Ves and wrapped her back up in a tight hug, leaning her head on his shoulder, letting her cry until she could calm down.
"... That shouldn't be a problem," Sammy spoke as she walked in, hands in her pockets. The others perked up, turning toward her. She raised a brow and inquired, "Anyone mind updating me on what I missed? The Major wasn't very forthcoming as to why Ves reacted the way she did when she saw those Wankers," and she looked at the girl. She felt the temperature in the room.
Ves slowly lifted her head off Vic's shoulder, ears droopy, while the Romanian looked at their TL. The blonde wiped her eyes of tears, then looked around, locking eyes with Victor. The man's expression softened as he caressed her cheek and asked her something in Russian. She nodded… And before long, Victor had outlined everything that Ves had told them.
Like the creature whose features she borrowed, Sam suddenly grew still. She took her hands from her pockets, then breathed in and out, sighing deeply and stating, "That explains why I walked into a freezer… And why Vic looked like he was about to rip someone's throat out with his teeth," before letting out a frustrated laugh. She told them, "Updated Patrol patterns then… No woman in this squad ever goes on a patrol without a male battle buddy. I don't care if numbers are skewed right now, we stick together. The Valkyrie fuckers are gonna be on the other side of the Academy, so we probably won't see them all that often."
"We'll still have to share intel with them about our targets," She scoffed, then sighed, pinching the bow of her nose. She told them, "Warn the Students we know to keep away from them. Teams RWBY and JNPR will spread the word. As for surveillance? I'll ask the Major to keep a squad near by them at all times, recording every single fucking thing they're doing. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, too, just in case they wander into our patrol zones. And if they're hostile, the Major's given us the Green Light to engage regardless of Ironwood and Ozpin's desires. A fact that confused me until I heard this story."
"I'll call Rubes and Jaune," Victoria offered, "Might as well let them know about this ahead of time…" and she lifted up her Scroll. She and Paula walked out to make the call and keep their eyes peeled, while everyone else was trying to calm themselves down and outline the situation to the best of their abilities, figure out a way to keep this as civil as possible. The General probably didn't know shit about this, though. Of their actions.
What a clusterfuck…