"He was unshakable. A force of nature. No matter the odds, his stoic voice would tell us what to do, and we obeyed." - Glaston, explaining Zero to a recruit
Violet waited in a basement located in the Vale ghetto. He held his radio out, listening for reports.
"This is B-1, two more police vehicles spotted on the west side. Total estimate about 50 men, over."
"Copy that, B-1. Return to HQ. Blue-1, status report."
"This is Blue-1, another military police truck joined the gathering at the north side. There must be over a hundred MPs there by now. Over."
"Copy that. Hold position with your team and prepare an ambush. Blue-2 will reach you with the mortar. Remember the decoys as well as the backup frequencies. Green-1, status?"
"This is Green-1, still no activity in east or south directions, over."
"Regroup and standby next to HQ. Get Green-2 to watch over the west side instead of B-1."
Violet had a map of the settlement spread out on a table before him, though it wasn't of much use owing to how outdated it was. Either way, it was better than nothing. He could hear the basement door opening, so he put on his mask and drew his gun.
"It's just me." Blake walked down the stairs.
"B-1"
"Will you stop calling me that? We're not speaking over radio anymore."
"We shouldn't be using our real names like that. Especially once we expand. This is just simplifying things."
Blake sighed, "As you wish. What did you call me for?"
"You will be my second in command for this battle. If I fall, you need to execute the plan in my place."
Blake nodded, "And what is your plan exactly?"
"The military police gathers in the north, the Vale police in the west. The enemy doesn't yet have the manpower to encircle the ghetto. They'll likely wait until more forces come up before moving in methodically. Instead, we're going to provoke them into attacking prematurely. They also might not be communicating well due to factional rivalries, so we'll try to take advantage of that too."
He spent the time explaining the rest of the battle plan to Blake, who listened carefully.
"That sound good to you, B-1?"
She smiled, "I guess I was right about you. Very ambitious. You had this plan ready, didn't you?"
"Caught me, have you?" he sighed, "The broad strokes of it, yes. But it's really just elementary theory."
"Since you've planned this much, I can only assume you know what's coming after this?"
"We have a lot of work to do before we can take down the Vale government. By day's end, their police force will have been decimated, but that's not all they have. Atlas will send in more security, and the Vale army is formidable as well. That's not even mentioning that Ozpin might throw his huntsmen at us. It will be an uphill battle."
"Police, Atlas, the army, huntsmen? Sounds almost impossible when you put it like that." Blake said.
"Are you ready for it?"
"Depends on what I see today."
"Fair enough. We're lucky Vale City is home to about 85% of the country's population. A swift, surgical strike here will be all it takes."
"Until Atlas invades again."
"By then we would be able to mobilize the population properly. We could negotiate a settlement."
"You think they'll accept it?"
"Even if they don't, I have a backup plan." Blake raised her eyebrow at that. She meant to ask more but was interrupted by Violet's radio. "This is Blue-1, Blue-2 has arrived at our position. Over."
"Very well. All units, switch your radio frequencies in accordance with the agreed upon tables. They could have picked up on us by now."
After about a minute of waiting, Violet continued on the new frequency, "Blue-2, use your dust shells to strike at the MP gathering, then pull back and wait with Blue-1 and the rest in ambush."
"Copy that."
A few moments later, a series of explosions could be heard in the distance, and the two of them shared a smile.
"This is Blue-2. I've hit the gathering point with all of my shells. The MPs are returning fire. Pulling back, over."
"Good work. Keep calm and lead them into the settlement."
"Green-2, any movement on the west side?"
"Negative, they're panicked but otherwise not moving. Over."
Good. Let them enter little by little.
He gestured for Blake to follow him upstairs. The cool afternoon air did little to soothe his anxiety. At the same time, however, he felt a great thrill at the danger before him. At the fact that this was all real. He was a real actor on the world stage. People would write news stories about him, important people would all be briefed about it, awful cash-grab biographies of him would pop up within the year… There might even be a little section about this in a history book someday. It was real. He wouldn't trade this feeling for anything in the world.
"This is Blue-1, enemy infantry spotted, engaging."
He heard the sounds of automatic fire about a mile to the north of him. Excellent.
He caught sight of Green team approaching. He turned to Glaston, the faunus marked as Green-1.
"Listen up, there are several boxes of firearms in our HQ. Gather anyone willing to fight here. I shall address them personally before they're given their weapons. Understood?"
Glaston and his men nodded in unison and went about their work. Everyone can hear the sounds of battle now, and my men would appear as the settlement's only defenders.
"Blue-1 coming in, we beat them back but two of my men are injured. They're in stable condition, over."
"Hide them for the moment. I expect you to leave the decoy radios behind as you withdraw."
After a small delay, Blue-1 spoke again, "Copy that, Zero."
"This is Green-2, the police are starting to move in. They're already searching the first row of houses. Over."
"Let them, we'll be ready by the time they reach us. Watch their advance carefully."
"This is Blue-1, second enemy wave has reached the decoy's position. Over."
"Good. Trail them and engage only if absolutely necessary." he turned to Blake and gave her a second radio. "Lure them to the east side of the city. Say we're planning to retreat that way."
Blake nodded and accepted the device, before making some distance so as to not distract him.
Some 10 minutes later, Glaston and his men managed to bring him about three dozen people in somewhat presentable condition. They couldn't exactly afford to be picky right now. He climbed onto a munitions box and addressed the gathered group, "Honored men of Vale, war has come to your doorstep. The scourge of Atlas has come to claim your lives once and for all."
As if on cue, a burst of gunfire sounded from the west. They must have started confronting civilians already.
The men looking at him were curious, but skeptical. Zero paid it no mind. As far as he was concerned, he was a force of nature, unyielding to their preconceptions, "Long have you lived in despair. Long have you suffered at the hands of others. I ask you now, will you allow yourselves to be quietly snuffed out as well? Or will you stand up for yourselves, just once? Will you not bring purpose to your life in service of your people? We, the Black Knights shall fight for all those who seek freedom. Will you rally behind us as we march to victory?"
The reactions were mixed. Some of the men were excited at the prospect, whether it was out of a desire for violence or patriotism he did not care. Others were more lukewarm. Over half the men left, leaving some 15 additional people for his militia. They were each given a rifle, and divided into teams led by Glaston's men.
By the time they were organized, his radio came to life, "Green-2 coming in. The police have stopped searching homes, they're rushing towards your position now."
Did they get into contact with the military police? If so, they must think we're on the run. Very well then.
Violet turned to the combination of militias and proper Black Knights, "Follow my lead. We shall set up an ambush for the enemy here. Take position on the surrounding rooftops."
His troops did as instructed, each Black Knight leading three or four militiamen to the various buildings. They were two or three stories tall, and the civilians did not bother them. Everyone was already in hiding.
The police seemed to have sent most of what they had, though less than their total strength. Either Blake's estimate was wrong or they are flanking from somewhere else. No, they're no soldiers, they're merely police. They must be guarding the exits. About 30 men were running through the street in a column. His ambush was ready to annihilate them as soon as they reached the optimal killzone.
To his irritation though, one of the new men fired before all the policemen got into said killzone. With the ruse gone, everyone else followed. Many enemies fell, but the poor marksmanship of his people was very noticeable.
"Blue-1, where are you? Come on, answer Blue-1."
"This is Blue-1, the army is spooked by your fire, you alright there? I think they're turning around."
"Damn it! Delay them however you can! We can't let them link up."
The surviving policemen found cover and started returning fire. Before long, their superior training was pinning his men down. The numbers were about even but the fight was starting to drag out.
"Damned idiots, must I do everything myself?"
He found Blake, "B-1, they've discovered our deception. We need to finish the police now. Use your clones to draw their fire."
"As you command, Zero."
"Green team, listen carefully. B-1 will draw their fire. Have your men ready to light up their positions. I'm also moving in to engage."
The image of Blake suddenly appeared on the street, and many policemen went to fire at her decoy. However, as they peeked out of cover, several of them dropped dead by a prepared volley from the Black Knights.
As the firefight was turning in their favor, Violet and Blake rushed in, covered by allied fire from behind. He was too paranoid about carrying his scythe with him and being recorded by some stranger, so he settled on a simple silenced pistol. Their charge was completely unexpected by the police, and they managed to take several men down, including what looked like an important police captain. Violet figured that death would be a preferable alternative to having to answer for such a debacle.
He took one of the police radios, and soon enough he could hear a voice giving the order to retreat and take up positions blocking the ghetto exit from the west.
"Shall we pursue?" Blake asked.
"No, they're too few in number. The military police are the bigger target." he took out his radio and spoke, "Blue-1, status report."
"Zero, they're… Oh bloody hell Avery is dead and Ash looks like he won't make it. Where the fuck are you?"
"Stay calm Blue-1, we've dealt with the police. We're coming to save you. What's your location?"
"We're pinned in some shitty apartment building. Bloody hell can't you follow the gunfire? It's just me and-"
"Calm down, we're coming." he sighed, "All units, follow my lead. Change your radio frequencies again, we can't let captured equipment compromise us now."
He rallied his men towards the distant sounds of gunfire in the eastern part of the ghetto. A few minutes later, and he saw it. A dingy two-story building that was being shot up by MPs. He ordered his men to split up and advance along the alleyways toward the position.
Soon, shots could be heard all around him. Sporadic exchanges of gunfire and screams instead of mag dumps into concrete, "Blue-3 here. we took two men by surprise, Over."
"This is Blue-2, my guys killed three MPs. Over"
Finding themselves outflanked, they must be panicking, Violet thought. Still, they are tough men and they'll turn the tides unless we break themimmediately.
He gathered Blake and Glaston to charge an MP position by themselves. They broke into one of the occupied buildings, shooting three men in short order. They heard boots moving from another room, but Blake was already on it, automatic fire going through the thin walls exactly where the men were. Violet noted how faunus hearing was just as beneficial as their night vision.
He noticed that one of the dead men looked more important than the others. He picked up the enemy radio and took off his mask. His voice now clear, he turned it on, faking a panicked voice, "All units, our Lieutenant has fallen. From up here I can see a second wave coming in… Oh heavens, it must be at least a hundred men. What the hell do we do now?"
He turned away from the MP radio and gave out orders to his own men, "All units, increase intensity of fires now. Light them up! Fire everything you have!"
Within an instant, the volume of fire was so great that he almost believed his own deception. After about a minute, another voice could be heard on the MP radio, "All units, withdraw eastwards. We will circle around and unite with reinforcements. Repeat, all units withdraw eastwards."
"Is it… done?" Glaston said next to him. He could not believe they actually managed a victory in open battle.
"East is clear ground." Blake said, "Our Bullhead isn't that far away. We can cut them down with it."
"No. The material outcome is irrelevant at this stage. We have won a small, but decisive victory. Having the aircraft shot down or tracked would just dampen it. Get the wounded and bring them to HQ. After that, gather everyone else. I want to address them properly."
Blake was surprised at this. She was smiling when she spoke, "Understood, Zero. And… I was right to put my trust in you, Zero."
He returned to his temporary HQ while the men recovered their dead and injured. Some 15 minutes later, five men were brought down and the place was converted into a makeshift hospital. Another person entered as well. It was Azul. He was shot in the arm, but it didn't stop him from an outburst, "Zero… Ash, Avery, and Mark all perished. Four of the new guys you recruited too. Was it worth it?"
Violet realized what the issue was, "They were old enough to know what they were doing. Or did you think this was all just a game?"
"They were your friends for heaven's sake! You led them to their demise." he was crying at this point, "And you brush off their deaths just like that?"
Zero approached him, his voice made inhuman and metallic by the mask's voice filter, "Do you want me to bawl my eyes out in front of everyone? Would that make you feel better? You can mourn in private, but on the field I expect you to be calm and collected. You have a duty to be presentable to your men. Am I understood?"
"Will you live up to that ideal too?"
"I will." he put his hand on Azul's shoulder, "They fought well, now let them rest."
"I- Yes, Zero."
"You're injured. Either stay here, or compose yourself and join me upstairs. I plan to make a speech."
He made his way to the ghetto streets, only to find a large crowd of almost a hundred people had gathered there, with more looking at him from the windows. It seemed the news of victory spread like wildfire. Azul joined in as well, doing his best to hide his injury. Violet handed a camera to Blake, before finding an elevated platform.
For the third time today, Zero would give a speech:
"Those of you who have power, fear us."
"Those without power, rally behind us."
"Wherever there is injustice, we shall appear."
"Wherever there is a will for freedom, we shall fight."
"We are The Black Knights, and we alone shall stand in judgment of this world!"