A/N: Hello again! We are BACK. We give our sincerest apologies for the immense delay, between moving, promotions at work leading to more responsibility and University, both myself and Starwarsmast3r were a little taxed and had this on the back burner. We had been working on this one for quite some time, little chunks at a time. I won't lie I feel a little rusty at writing so I apologize in advance. We really hope you're glad to see it back and hope that this chapter was worth the wait. Some really cool stuff is coming soon which I've been bouncing off the walls to get out for you. This one here is an interesting one, during some points in the narrative we explore vaguely the history of how the Alsius got to where it is now from the Battle of Beacon and the Siege on Vale. Not all the answers are given and the pieces have to be put together, which more will be coming with the next. Anyways, we hope you enjoy and sincerely thank you for your patience :)

-Dusty

RWBY: Strangers in a Strange Land

Chapter 10: The Alsius

WILDERNESS OF VALE
UNKNOWN WHITE FANG CAMP
WOLF PACK
CAPTAIN ACCALIA

It'd been a long, slog of a march back to their base camp. Even with some light vehicles stolen from the Atlesians, some had to walk, allocating the vehicle space for the injured. The stalwart Captain insisted on leading the column on foot. She had not rested since fighting the huntsmen at the Canadian crash site. It was this said incident that kept her on her toes and extremely vexed. Even though the Atlesian patrol they dispatched shortly after was easy to eliminate, it still taxed the already fatigued unit. Arriving back at camp early in the afternoon, the foot soldiers took a brief break before returning to their duties and carrying the wounded to medical tents scattered about the camp.

"You look like you are going to pass out, sister. Don't tell me some Atlesian rogues that were out of practice have finally done you in." The arrogant wolf, Fenrir, taunted his sister.

Accalia removed her helmet, resting it under her arm and against her hip.

"Worry about your decimated unit before insulting me, little brother." Accalia shot back, a sharp venom in her tone.

The woman overturned her nearly depleted water container over her head, washing the blood and dirt from her silver hair and blood stained grey armour. She then individually massaged the wolf like ears atop her head that had been forced into awkward positions due to her helmet. The action brought only slight comfort.

Fenrir snarled and stood up to argue.

"Do not test me, Fenrir. Not now." The Captain was usually patient, calm and collected. Most of her patience had been used up during their previous engagements.

Fenrir snarled in disagreement and collected his gear. "Very well, I'll go speak to Commander Taurus while you cool off."

"No. You stay. Make sure what's left of your unit has ammunition, food, and water. I will speak to Adam."

"He charged me with the mission."

"Yes, and it was under your leadership that a child and his commander, Lieutenant Bryson were able to scar your prized family armour and kill several of your men. To ensure you aren't decapitated by Wilt and Blush the moment you speak to him, I will go handle the backlash, little brother. Now you will do what you are told! Take inventory, take care of your men, now!"

Fenrir mumbled and stormed off, defeated, to perform his given task.

Accalia sighed, envying her brother's carelessness but at the same time pitying his tactical blindness. She tried to relax and maintain her patience. Her father warned her that she would have to deal with Fenrir's drastic behaviour, and normally she could.

Shaking her head, she made her way to the Cell's ranking officer's field tent; Adam Taurus. She hoped he was still present and had not left for Mistral yet.

"Commander Taurus." Back to her usual self, she was clear, and commanded an aura of authority by her voice alone. She announced her presence from outside, waiting for the Faunus revolutionary to respond and allow her entry.

"Accalia, it's been awhile since your last report. Enter."

Accalia pushed the curtain to the side, seeing the Commander hovering over an assortment of tactical documents, maps and other mission critical intelligence placed in a methodical madness on the large table in the center of the red tent.

"What happened out there?" The masked commander looked up, awaiting her response. If he was displeased, he hid it well.

The Captain placed her helmet on the table and ran her hand through her hair, scratching her scalp. "We made contact with the armed men at the crash site. They were the same ones our scout spotted in the village not too long before. The same group of Huntsmen from the village were with them."

"And Lieutenant Fenrir's men?"

"Mostly wiped out. We severely underestimated them. A mistake I refuse to make again."

"A mistake your brother should be informing me of. A mistake that cost me several men." Adam pointed his finger at the woman. He stood up straight, walking around the table to face his subordinate.

"I have already dealt with Fenrir, Sir." Accalia assured sternly.

"Have you, Captain?" Adam approached the Captain, no longer hiding his discontent. "Or will your brother prove to be more trouble than he's worth?"

Accalia would never say it aloud, but in the back of her mind she found the man small and insignificant. Figuratively and literally. Being taller than him, and in her own opinion - better trained and more experienced.

The wolf hunched forward to meet his height. She stared him in the face with no fear or regard for his stature before giving her answer.

"No."

The two warriors briefly questioned the others gall and strength, but failed to act on any impulses.

After a few moments of tense silence, Taurus exhaled loudly, signalling his impatience.

"So then, tell me...Who are we dealing with, Captain." Adam began to pace while getting to the important matter. His hand began to instinctively take hold of the hilt of his prized weapon strapped to his hip before he continued to pry. "Who are they?"

Slightly jarred by the abrupt change of topic, Accalia cocked a brow and wasn't sure whether or not to chalk it up to a sense of fear regarding her or sudden urgency held by the Bull-Faunus.

"The Royal Canadian Regiment, that's what their Lieutenant called them." Accalia eyed up her belt, where a bloody piece of CADPAT fabric still stuck to her blade, even hours later.

"...I have never heard of them...Where are they from?" Adam spotted the fabric and removed it from his subordinates knife, inspecting the digital pattern and its green, black and brown colours.

"...I couldn't even hazard a guess. Their field officer claimed that they weren't 'from here' and were here only to look for their people, and for a way out. I've never seen their uniforms, their flag, their weapons...anything...it's all new...No auras either and they barely had any knowledge of their surroundings at all. Closest thing I can relate them to are children in a sandbox."

"A way out…" Taurus scratched his chin, pondering.

"Sir, another thing." Accalia raised a finger, interrupting Adam's moment of thought.

"What is it?"

"The huntsmen and huntresses that were with them both there and at the village...They were at Beacon at the time of the assault."

"What?"

"I recognized them. During our withdrawal from the school grounds...The silver-eyed one was with them."

"If they are with the soldiers it's only a matter of time before they make their way to a larger settlement seeking aid...Maybe even Haven…" Adam froze for a few moments, obviously thinking of the worst case scenario. "You're dismissed, Captain. I have some messages to send."

Adam turned his back, signalling Accalia to leave. But she refused.

"Commander Taurus, I urge you; inform High Leader Khan of these soldiers and alocate me the resources to destroy them before they prove to be any more of a problem! If what you have told me in private about these Huntsmen is true, and our mission is time and intelligence sensitive, let me deal with this!"

"That's enough, Accalia...You'll have your men, Captain. But, you let me deal with High Leader Khan. We're in hot enough water regarding our unsanctioned assault on Beacon and our proposal to attack Haven academy in the coming months...let's not hang ourselves out to dry regarding these...Canadians."

"Understood." The Commander's response eased her clouded mind, bringing some relief. She took a deep breath after her response.

"Accalia."

"Yes, commander?"

"Not one left standing, do you understand me? We cannot let them warn anyone of what's coming. We have the advantage with the CCT down, but that can't incite laziness. Get rid of them. Fast."

"...Yes sir." Accalia's response was delayed, riddled with hesitance.

"Is that a problem, Captain?"

"No, Commander...But I want as many troops as you can spare."

Taurus tilted his head, seemingly unimpressed with the amount of troops the Vilkas siblings had cost him and continued to request.

"Is there something I should be concerned about regarding our new enemy? Something you haven't mentioned? Something that requires more good men and women to die?"

"A boy." Accalia did not hide her doubts. "Plus the Huntsmen and Huntresses. They alone warrant a hardy response."

"Excuse me?" Regarding the Huntsmen, Taurus could understand the need. But her first complaint, he could not. "Come again?"

"A boy, Sir. Or teenager, whatever the case me be, he managed to deplete my brother's aura and scar his armor." She sighed and rubbed her shoulder. "...As well as dodge several swings made by myself."

"An auraless child managed to best your brother in combat?"

"Yes. But...Something wasn't right about him. He saw our attacks coming, dodging preemptively, attacking preemptively like he knew what we were going to do. No one else on the battlefield did that."

"...What are you suggesting, Accalia?" Adam leaned over the table, fearing perhaps this boy had a similar ability to that of his trusted Captain.

"I don't know yet. I need more time to learn more about Carver. I can use my ability and learn anything we need."

"Carver. Is that his name?" He asked, disregarding the latter half of her suggestion.

"Yes, Sir. Private Jack Carver is what I heard."

"You don't need more time to learn, Captain. You need to kill him before he becomes any more of a problem, is that understood? Do whatever you deem necessary, we cannot afford them getting in our way...You have my permission to wage war."

"Yes, Commander Taurus."

"Good. Now go, stop them dead in their tracks and get rid of them. Make your father and the rest of the White Fang proud."

The captain's fists tensed. Accalia retrieved her helmet from the table and placed it on over her head. Seconds later, the two distinct eye slits in her mask lit up a distinct red.

With a deep breath, Captain Accalia stepped out of the tent, drawing the attention of idle White Fang soldiers. She paused and observed the lowly grunts staring back. She knew most of them likely wouldn't be coming back from their next assignment, however, if the White Fang deemed their sacrifice necessary to stop the rise and rally of their new foe, she was willing to give a lot, even her own life if need be. Her brother returned, followed by a group of white fang soldiers carrying an ample supply of ammunition and water jugs.

"Disseminate the supplies and gather the Wolf Pack, Brother. We're leaving."

"The Pack? Haven't heard you call for them in a while...Where to now, Sister?"

"Gather the men, then I'll explain everything."

In time, a small army surrounded the Captain, all waiting eagerly for their next instructions. They spoke amongst themselves, whispering and chatting to one another about their own theories.

"Quiet!" Fenrir snapped.

With that, silence.

Accalia quietly counted their numbers to herself, giving up when she reached the dozens. Now estimating, their numbers were substantial, easily large enough to overrun an enemy company or more should they run into a group of that size.

"We have a new mission." She calmly started. "The objective is no longer to recon the unknown force that has been active in our area."

Accalia began to pace, taking note of the few survivors from their previous engagement with Carver and the other men. Alongside them were the heavily armored elite troops of the Wolf Pack, personally trained by herself and her brother. It was the closest thing to a special forces unit the organization had.

"...This unknown force, for those who don't know...Are not from Remnant."

Some of the newer soldiers immediately questioned this statement. It was absurd to those who hadn't seen the RCR in action.

"These humans are trained, experienced, deadly, and they have killed numerous of our brothers and sisters already."

Upon finishing her own statement, her eyes trailed to her brother. His armor, more specifically. She traced the fresh scarring on the grey plating. If that was what her enemy was capable of, she knew a massive portion of these soldiers were not coming back.

"Many of you, including myself, are looking for some revenge on these monsters...Let me ease your conscious. You will get your revenge. Regardless of who they are, or where they are from, these humans have every intention to stop our plans and further subjugate the Faunus."

Several of the younger soldiers in the crowd shook their heads in disgust, seeing the truth of what their captain was saying and believing wholeheartedly in the villainy of their new foes.

"I for one, refuse to let that go on."

Fenrir grinned under his helmet, eagerly anticipating his next engagement with the enemy.

"Our orders - our mission, our destiny, is to close with and obliterate this new enemy before they have a chance to gain a stable foothold here in Remnant. They cannot compromise us."

Whispers and pleased grunts emanated from the crowd.

"We will outnumber and outmaneuver this foe and fight them until they are all dead under our boots! You will show no hesitance, and no mercy! Because you are the best of the best that the White Fang has to offer!"

A few of the soldiers threw their arms in the air, getting equally as fired up as their commanders.

"Commander Taurus, the rest of the White Fang cells, and the entirety of the Faunus are watching, to that end we will stop at nothing to complete this mission! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Captain!"

"I said, do I make myself clear?!"

"YES CAPTAIN VILKAS!"

"MOUNT UP AND MAKE ME PROUD!"

With a loud cheer, the group dispersed to their respective groups and vehicles to prepare for their coming war with the Royal Canadian Regiment. Accalia watched them as they left with a sigh.

"Rousing speech, Sister." Fenrir mocked.

"Why do you continue in your poor attempts to anger me today, brother? What I have done that makes you so set on antagonizing me? Have I not provided for you?" The woman did not even look his way, seeing him as a mere temporary annoyance.

"I've been itching for a fight since we got back here, and forgive me if I don't see the point in rousing your expendable foot soldiers. They are beneath you."

"A motivated soldier, is a loyal soldier, brother." Accalia started on her path to the vehicles, joined by her brother. "And considering what we are about to ask them to do, loyalty is what we need. A lot of them are going to die if we come across the Huntsmen and Carver again. Especially if they are able to master their abilities."

"Since when do you care about what we do in the name of freedom for our people? Or about who dies on that path? It's all worth it…That's what father always belie-"

Accalia cut the man off, pressing her index finger sharply against Fenrir's chest plate. "Who said I did? I just understand the gravity of the situation. Learn to understand the bigger picture brother. Remember what I said about strategy versus tactics. We're going to need strategy to deal with Carver."

"That child won't get away next time. I assure you, Sister."

"You're right." Accalia nodded. "He won't."

Captain Accalia climbed atop one of the stolen Atlesian vehicles and slammed her fist against the hull, signalling the driver to roll out.

"Because I'm going to kill him myself."

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
SEVERAL MONTHS AGO
CARVER RESIDENCE
PRIVATE JACK CARVER

"Do you know where they're puttin' you?"

"Yeah, found out on Friday morning before we got dismissed for leave."

"Well? Tell me you're gonna be a Patricia like your old man!"

"Desmond, if he gets put into PPCLI we'll never see him! We don't have the money to make trips out West!"

"Catherine, our boy is a cowboy at heart, a roguish renegade! He isn't French enough to be a Van Doo, and I'll be damned if my son is gonna be a Royal. Let me tell you Cat, if anyone would ever shine barbed wire, keep their boots bloused and boots polished, in the middle of a combat zone, it'd be the RCR."

Jack shrank into his seat.

"How bout it? Third battalion PPCLI? You gonna be a jumper?"

"You see, dad...uh...I hear that jumping out of planes is really bad for your knees. And all that rucking is bad for your back…" Jack twiddled his thumbs.

"Ah, I see, you're going Mechanized. Well, enjoy the ride while it lasts! Patricia's always end up walking one way or another."

"About that." Jack forced out a small chuckle.

Desmond raised a brow, fearing that his son was skirting around the question, trying to find an easy way to tell him something disappointing.

"...I've uh...actually been posted to first battalion...RCR. Bravo Company."

The young soldier tore off his no-hook rank patch that bore the general Canada text in white lettering, and in its place, attached a fresh one-chevron patch bearing RCR upon his chest. He then reached into his pocket and placed his beret upon the table. The Infantry Corps' logo no longer stood out on the dark green beret. Rather, an eight-pointed diamond cut star; upon the star was a raised circle surmounted by the crown; within the raised circle, the block letters "VRI", the Imperial Cypher of Queen Victoria sat upon his beret. The soldier was now a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment.

"Well I'll be damned." Desmond smirked. He talked big about Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry due to pride in his service, but he always respected the Royals, no matter how much smack he spoke.

"Shame. I thought the army would recognize the name and make you a cowboy for sure. But what can you do." Major Carver shrugged and leaned across the table, patting his son on the shoulder.

Catherine Carver smiled, knowing Petawawa to be a bit of a trek. But at least it was in the same province.

"Thanks, that means a lot. I was kind of worried you'd be disappointed…"

"Jack, I'm your father, not a moron. I'd never be mad at you for a decision that wasn't yours to make. But, even if it was your decision, it'd be just that; your decision. That's something no one can take away from you; choice." The experienced Soldier pointed at his son, speaking in his usual lesson-teaching manner. He was still an officer at heart.

"Even if it means pissing some people off?"

"Jack! Language!" His mother frowned.

"Sorry mom…Army habit." He cleared his throat and corrected himself accordingly. "Even it if ticks some people off?"

"Yeah, even if it rubs people the wrong way. There'll come a time you're gonna be faced with a crappy scenario. I can tell you that with one hundred percent certainty. All the options are gonna seem bad, all the outcomes are gonna seem bad, but you'll still have a choice to make. No one can wrong you for making a choice."

"Hmph, you haven't met my course staff then…"

"I'm serious, kid. Course staff are jerks because they have to be. You have to be confident with any choice you make. That'll help you be a better soldier, remember that."

"Come on, Desmond, leave him alone. He's probably more concerned with playing xbox or watching TV right now while he's home. The last thing he wants to do is talk about work."

"Yeah, you're right." Jack's father nodded. "Go on, get some rest, we'll be down here if you need us."

Jack complied, retrieving his bag then retreating upstairs to the solace of his old room. His hand twisted the door handle and then lightly pushed the door in to avoid making noise and waking his brother in the adjacent room. Jack flicked the lightswitch, illuminating his abandoned room that he had not seen for months. Everything was as he left it.

The light gave life to the otherwise dead room, giving a clear display of every item and piece of furniture that had sat for months while the soldier was gone.

The slew of posters on the wall glistened from the burst of light, highlighting the multitude of interests; A green armour clad super soldier with the text "Halo" beneath was placed just beside a poster of Toronto Blue Jays number 11, Kevin Pillar, diving to catch a baseball in the rogers centre in downtown Toronto.

A Canadian flag hung from the wall, placed equally between a Gears of War poster and a Star Wars poster.

After inspecting the walls for any discrepancies, the newly trained soldier discarded the bag to the foot of the bed before undoing his tunic and condemning it to the chair sitting just in front of his desk which was covered in a plethora of books and a laptop.

"Jack?"

Private Carver nearly jumped out of his skin, surprised by the sudden interruption of silence.

He turned to face the origin, seeing a small figure dressed in Pokemon pajamas in the doorway, peering into the usually abandoned room.

"Alex? What are you doing up, I thought you'd be asleep."

Upon seeing it actually was Jack Carver, the young boy disregarded the question and sprinted in, wrapping his arms around the soldier.

Jack took a knee and returned the gesture, hugging his younger brother.

"I missed you, Jack!"

Private Carver felt a small pang of guilt for leaving, but was immediately self reassured by the importance of his job.

"I missed you too, buddy." Jack pat Alex's back.

"Are you home for good now?"

"Afraid not…" Jack regretfully informed. "Just finished training and their posting my to Petawawa. It's a bit of a drive but better than a flight."

"...oh…" The young boy looked down, knowing his hero would be leaving again shortly.

Another wave of guilt hit the soldier, who was also now staring at the carpet for some answer on how to make it all better.

"Let me tell you something, Alex."

The boy looked up to his CADPAT clad brother.

"I'll always be there for you. That's why I'm doing this. No matter where I go and no matter how ugly it gets, I'll always come and watch your back."

Alex Carver's sad expression turned to a half smile, cherishing the support of his hero.

"I promise you that."

1ST BATTALION, ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT
BRAVO COMPANY
1ST PLATOON
2 SECTION
PTE JACK CARVER

Private Carver sat beneath a shady tree with his journal in hand, helmet off and canteen readily available. He stared blankly at a tree in the distance, completely unfocused about the world around him. He lightly shook his head.

Must've dozed off...He thought to himself.

The remainder of the group were similarly positioned, waiting for the leaders recce to return with the plan of action. Or, at least what they'd be doing next. Jerome was with him, sitting shoulder to shoulder, equally as bored. Owens sat under the same tree, passed out and using a wet cloth to cover his eyes from the sun.

"Hey." Jerome started.

"Yeah?" Jack turned to face him, coming out of his trance.

"You ever wonder why we're here?"

"...Well, you see buddy...Trees have good shade, and you typically wanna stay outta the sun if it can be avoided. You could get burnt, or dehydrated."

"In Remnant, smart ass." Jerome swat Jack's shoulder with an eye roll and a chuckle.

"Only every single moment we're here." Jack added, humour with a tinge of discontent in his voice. His attention was drawn to sight of team RNJR mingling with the other troops. "It's not all bad though."

"Not all bad? You of all people should hate it here. How many Grimm or insane terrorists have tried killing you lately?"

"If we dropped Ruby into the middle of the Petawawa training area, do you think she'd find Canada to be a very nice place?"

"...Touché."

"We just gotta get outta here...Outta the woods, outta batshit crazy territory and then we can make some progress."

"What then?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, buddy."

"...What if there's a reason?" Jerome asked cryptically.

"Huh?"

"What if someone brought us here?"

Jack threw his hands in the air defensively, opting out.

"Whoa this got deep fast, I dunno man that question is waaaay above my head. I'd ask the Padre when we get back."

"No no not like that...think about it, Jack...conveniently a portal to another world shows up Stargate style in the middle of nowhere, a place where civilians wouldn't panic, but close enough to get us involved? Then conveniently we find a team of Huntsmen within two days who survived a terrorist attack at the hands of some shady people they nor we know anything about?"

"...What are you suggesting…?" Jack slowly turned his head, now disturbed by the path the conversation took.

"This is all a little too...connected...like something bigger is going on here."

Owens yawned, having woke up in the middle of their ongoing conversation. "Well, the White Fang is out there."

"I dunno, Corporal. If they had powers to make interplanetary or interdimensional Stargates, or whatever the hell we traveled through, I feel like they wouldn't have struggled in that fight at the crash site, and I don't think we'd be here to talk about it...no, I think something else is going on…"

"Like what?" Owens asked with genuine curiosity.

Jack thought back to the forest, when some voice communicated with him. He still hadn't told anyone, and still hadn't decided if he was going to. They would think he was going crazy. Hell, he still believed partly that he imagined it. He did fall out of a helicopter and likely hit his head.

Still. It made him uncomfortable all the same. And it all did seem a little too connected.

Jack shivered and observed the trees, getting a feeling he was being watched.

It was quiet, for a moment, before Farren came marching down the hill. Jack thought he heard the officers yelling, but gave it no mind until he saw Hunters face. He looked like a three year old being interrogated by his parents for lying, though his consequences would be much more severe.

"Heads up." Setting his journal off to the side, Jack placed a firm grip on his rifle, backed by Owens and Jerome.

Farren pushed past Corporal Klinger to get at Hunter. Strangely, he didn't seem to resist, he didn't raise his hands or flinch when Farren got into his face. In what felt like a second, Hunter was on the ground with his left hand twisted around his back and Farrens knee keeping him down, digging into the small of his back. Bryson followed close behind, calling the Platoon to alert

"Two section, front and center!" Bryson called out shortly after.

The three soldiers looked briefly at one another before jogging over to the officer's position.

"I need the three of you and the rest of your section to get RNJR and meet us at the top of the hill, we've got a situation."

"Anything we should be concerned about, Sir?" Owens asked quietly

"We'll fill you all in when you get back, it's going to be a long day." Bryson stated, unamused as ever.

SEVERAL MONTHS EARLIER
VYTAL FESTIVAL - BATTLE OF BEACON
ATLESIAN AIRSHIP ALSIUS

The Alusis sailed through Vale airspace with little less then the hum of her engines filling the otherwise quiet ship. The bridge crew remained as silent as the grave, many huddled around a single monitor which played the only sound that seemed to mut the engines. They watched as their Flagship went up in flames; the robots built to defend Atlesian civilians, killing innocents mercilessly in the city below. The captain, an older man, stood alone watching the chaos and violence play out. The remains of the other two airships were close by.

"That's Blue two sir, General Ironwoods ship." The comms officer turned in his chair to face the Captain.

Activity on his monitor soon retook his attention. Another explosion had rocked the flagships hull as it fell into the town below. The crew looked on in horror. Never did they think Atlas' might could be challenged, but as the last Airship crashed into the ground, so too did their morale.

"Were we able to raise any survivors from Blues three or Four?" The captain asked in a solemn tone.

"No sir, silence on all channels." The officer replied.

The captain let out a sigh, removing his hat as he walked back from the glass.

"Piggyback off of Beacon's CCT and inform command of what happened. Tell them-" the captain paused, he regretted even muttering the words "-Tell command that the Generals ship has been destroyed and he is presumably among the dead. Beacon Academy has fallen, we were too late. Full stop. The rest of you, back to your stations."

As the soldiers dispersed back to their stations, four men entered the bridge, armed and dressed in combat gear.

"Why haven't you deployed us yet sir? we've been waiting for the signal."

"Stand down Lieutenant. We're going home."

"Were not going to stay and help? We can still save…"

"There is nothing left to save." The captain turned to the helmsman, one of the few crew not concentrated at the monitor. "Helm, come about and set course for Atlas academy, before the Grimm make us."

"Aye sir."

Despite opposition, the massive airship banked right and back towards home.

"There's a city full of innocent people down there!"

Silence filled the room. The bridge crew were visibly torn, but continued to work. The captain, however, was vexed.

"Outside. Now."

The Captain stormed out of the bridge, with the Lieutenant following close behind.

"Questioning my orders, on my bridge, in-front of the entre senior crew. Even for you, Christian, that is unacceptable."

"Our weapons are murdering innocent civilians, Grimm are invading the city limits. Excuse me, sir, but turing tail and running is not what I signed up for. We have a duty to-"

"Stop. Just stop. We are going to try this again. This time, disabuse yourself of the notion that this is an argument between equals; One where I make an argument, you make a counter argument and we agree to disagree. This is my ship, and i've given my orders, I expect my XO to fall in line."

PRESENT TIME
RCR OBSERVATION POINT
PTE JACK CARVER

Hunter was lead forcefully up the hill by Farren. His hands here zip tied and his torso was caked in dirt from being aggressively held to the ground. Dietz was still observing the ship and the plateau below as Jack, the remainder of 2 Section, and RNJR arrived behind Bryson. Farren had Hunter kneel down again and kept a tight grip on his prisoner.

After lying to their faces, he didn't know what to expect next.

For Jack, Jerome and even Owens, the situation was jarring. They all had trained to detain an enemy or even a civilian showing hostile intent, but seeing it in actual practice, with an actual person in an actual scenario was different than another soldier being used for a demonstration.

"You lied to us. You lied to me." Dietz crouched down to Hunters level. "What did you think was going to happen when you lead us here?"

Hunter kept eye contact to the ground, maintaining silence for some time before looking up, straight at the Captain.

"Would you have come if I told you everything?" His response was barely audible, like he was whispering.

"Well, I suppose we'll never know." Dietz stood back up and gathered his gear "Lieutenant Bryson, pack up shop. Were getting out of here before we're spotted. God only knows what's waiting for us down there..."

"Wait!" Hunter yelled out, now looking down at the ground again, still feeling guilty and ashamed. "Through omission I lied to you. I lied, and I lead you here in hopes of convincing you to help. The villagers are still in there. Innocent people whose only crime was wanting a free life outside the Kingdoms, only to be subjected again by these thugs! You are their one and only hope, Captain! You and your men!"

The officers looked at one another before gathering everyone up to discuss their next move. Farren remained with Hunter, keeping his iron grip.

"Master Corporal?" Dietz said, still observing the Alsius below.

"Sir." Farren straightened up, still keeping a firm grip on Hunter's shoulder.

"Take our friend here back down to the LAV's, I want a man on him at all times. I'll get one of your men to relive you in a moment."

"Understood, Sir."

With that, Farren marched Hunter down the hill once again, followed by the remainder of his section to guard the detainee.

"What's our next move, Sir?" Bryson inquired, watching his men leave before glancing down at the Alsius, weary of any movement.

"Hunter is no longer a trustworthy source. Whoever claims ownership of that monstrosity down there has a side to this story that I now feel obligated to hear." Dietz crossed his arms.

"You don't think he's telling the truth?" Nora asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I think he was willing to say or do anything to lead us here. The last thing I'm going to do is take orders from someone who puts off their honour so easily."

"So…Then what do we do?" Ruby interejected. "We can't just sit here…"

"These guys are Atlas he said. Military types. What would they be doing here?" Bryson asked, not seeing the logic behind any mission out here.

Ren knelt down and picked up a stick, using it to draw a rough sketch of the area in the dirt. "Their presence is obviously tied to the state of their ship. Crashing here can't have been their plan. I suspect they ran into issues while heading North, back to Atlas."

"Question is, what kind of issues." Jaune added, crossing his arms before taking a long gaze at the decimated crash site.

Dietz turned away, looking back down at the Alsius. "My question exactly."

SEVERAL MONTHS EARLIER
HUNTER

The crash was a spectacular sight to behold. With gravity pulling the skyborn behemoth back to ground, it was going faster than it ever could on it's own. Fire and explosions could be seen as it cleared the the small town by only a few kilometers. Flaming debris fell all around, lighting the night sky as people ran into their homes while some brave residents watched from cover. As it cleared the towns immediate skyline, Hunter took off into the words after the ship, dodging branches and trees as he did. In what seemed like only minutes, Hunter came to the edge of a hill, looking down onto the plateau as the ship hovered only a few feet above. The ship was correcting itself, turning, yet still falling at now a slower pace.

"Let's have a little look-see..." Hunter mumbled to himself, getting into a better position.

His eyesight was better in the dark, he was just able to make out the crash site. Isolated fires lit the surrounding areas as the rear wings made contact on the earth, Hunters eyes were brought to the front of the ship. A man fell from the ship's bridge, hitting the ground with the ship not far behind. Hunter was too far to tell if the man survived, or if he was a man at all. Gunfire soon followed, isolated shots echoed across the Plateau. Whoever survived the crash, didn't intend on surviving together.

1ST BATTALION, ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT
BRAVO COMPANY
1ST PLATOON
2 SECTION
PTE JACK CARVER

Jack strutted up the ramp of the LAV and stopped at the door, taking a look inside. Only Sam and Hunter were inside, each on opposite sides of the compartment. Hunter had his eyes shut, likely sleeping while Sam had his feet kicked up, using the back wall as support. The only source of entertainment the soldier had was a tennis ball that he kept in his vest for such boring occasions. He bounced the ball against the steel floor until it rebounded off the wall and back into his hand.

"You look comfortable." Jack pointed out.

"Not much to do. Sleeping beauty's over there's been out cold since I relieved Jerome. Speaking of which-"

"Yeah, you're relieved. Go get something to eat." Jack pointed with his thumb to the rear, highlighting the admin area where the rations were being handed out.

Sam jumped out of his seat and zipped by Jack like a rabbit in a matter of seconds. Despite the noise, Hunter still slept. Jack let out a brief sigh before moving towards Owens' seat, resting his rifle in the corner between the back and left wall, near the troop hatch. With a moment of quiet, he took out his rations and his notepad and flipped to a new page with a bored sigh.

Carver Journal Entry 5

I have no idea what is going on. Not that I have an intricate understanding of events most of the time, but the last few days have been a whirlwind. First we came looking for people, then we find the people have left. Next I get taken hostage by a local and then the officers sit down and talk to him. Big surprise that he lied to us. Not that I can really blame the officers, this place has taken its toll on all of us. I can see it in the officers. They hide their feelings well, keeping a sense of normalcy and all, but they know as well as we do that things are really messed up. Bryson especially, The White Fang dented his pride, you can tell he's looking to settle the score. I'd be lying to myself if I wasn't in the same boat. Those two White Fang commanders haven't really left my thoughts since we met them. Even with RNJR on our side, I don't know how we're gonn-

"What are you writing?"

Hunter, the origin of the abrupt voice, stopped the moment he noticed the swift movement of Jack's hand drawing his Browning HI-Power from it's holster, pointing the weapon directly at him. The action was fast and natural, the Soldier was not even looking at him by the time the weapon was aimed and ready.

"That's close enough." Jack shut his journal, placing it off to the side to pay full attention to the ensuing conversation.

He tipped the barrel, pointing it at the seat that Hunter had left, beckoning him to sit again.

"Go on." Jack brandished the barrel again, using it as a tool of persuasion to get his way.

"I wasn't going to try anything." Hunter slowly raised his hands and returned to his seat where he had been resting.

"You'll forgive me for taking precautions this time." Jack pointed to the healing cut on his neck with his free hand.

"How long do you Canadians hold grudges?" Hunter pointed to the Browning with a cocked brow.

"Most of us? Not long. This? This is a special circumstance." Jack holstered his pistol again and attempted to regain his positioning before being interrupted. He gave the man a look that let him know he wasn't afraid to shoot him if he tried something.

"Look, I'm sorry, but can you really blame me though? I thought you were Atlas. I'm sure you would've acted in a similar way."

"I don't know if I would!" Jack shrugged, looking confused. "Who knows!? Man, I'm out here questioning the whole idea of being here! Simply speaking to you is a feat that I can't even fathom, I'm freakin' out! So I'm not inclined to ask myself those kind of questions, okay? Cool. Good talk Coyote boy."

Hunter tilted his head, perplexed by the soldier's odd behaviour. "...Maybe we got off on the wrong foot."

"We didn't get off on a foot at all, actually; we got off on a knife to my throat." A smug look formed on the soldier's face, like that fact was what gave him the upper hand, not the pistol or overwhelming numbers.

Hunter twitched, almost completely in shock that such a character existed. He tried to figure out what was wrong with the kid in his head, but could not quite place it.

"Right, well...I'm Hunter."

"Yeah, yeah, I know your name." Jack gestured to the zipties still around the man's wrists. "Been hearing it a lot lately."

"And you are, Jack, if I heard right?"

"Yeah. My buddies call me Jack. Higher ups and dudes who put knives to my throat call me Private Carver."

"Come on, kid, I said I was sorry, damn!"

"You want me to forgive you?" Jack scoffed.

"Yeah, I feel like that'd be a good first step to repairing the relationship! I mean I had you at knife point, and you shot me, so we're equal! Right? So why don't we go from there?"

"Oh I'm sorry, I just thought the three unconscious guys in CADPAT fell asleep and I tripped while holding my gun, firing off a round on accident, my bad man! I didn't mean it, really!" Jack threw his hands in the air sarcastically, only pissing Hunter off more.

"Sarcasm won't help." Hunter crossed his arms, losing patience.

"Neither does lying to us, genius. You're the last one who can tell me what can and can't help!"

"Look, Carver...I said what I needed to in order to get you out here."

"Hey man, I've heard your story before and after the lie, I'm not the one you've gotta convince." Jack shrugged. "If there really are people being held down there against their will like you say, I'd have us march down there and negotiate for their release, but I'm not the one in charge."

"Then help me convince your commanders! You said it yourself during that meeting earlier, you want to help, help me do it! You and I are on the same side here!"

"Yeah, back home we like to call that insubordination! I've been told to guard you, not plan how to undermine a superior's orders!" Jack reluctantly blurted the response out, only out of fear of Farren's retribution that would come if he spoke out again.

"So you're gonna condemn those people because you're scared of getting yelled at by some soldiers? How do you think the Huntsmen are gonna take it once they realize that you're delaying their mission and leaving people behind? What's her name...Ruby? Bet she'll think the absolute world of a coward…"

"...You call me a coward again, and I will knock your ass seven ways to sunday, tough guy…" Jack pat his holster, talking through grit teeth.

"Alright, kid." Hunter shrugged. "Just thought you'd be the one to help after what RNJR told me about you, especially after I heard that it was you who fought Fenrir." The Faunus readjusted in his seat, getting comfortable before closing his eyes again.

The two sat in silence while Jack thought to himself.

He sighed - angrily.

"...Low blow, bro…God you suck." Jack sighed, running a palm through his hair and tightly gripping a chunk of his locks by his scalp. "Alright...fine, fine, fine."

"That was easy." Hunter opened his eyes and his lips curved into a grin, almost not believing his plan had worked.

"Shut up, I need the approval of others-"

"Classy. Real heroic too."

"-and I wanna help people, Jesus dude, you gotta let me finish my sentences or this little forgive and forget session ain't gonna go that far."

"Very well, I apologise for that too."

"There, you're sounding like a Canadian already." Jack mocked.

"...Sure." Hunter shrugged, unaware of the stereotype.

"Okay, we're gonna need a plan. I'm not gonna be the one throwing this up to Farren...Both of us will be screwed if I try that. I'm gonna have to try and convince Corporal Owens to help us out and then he can bring it up to the section commander." The Private hunkered down and got right to planning, running multiple scenarios through his head.

"Do you think he'll listen?" Hunter stood up again slowly, Jack noticed a smile growing on his face. Either because he saw hope or another way to screw them. Jack favoured the former.

"...uhh...I don't see why not…?" Jack shrugged, not displaying a whole lot of confidence with his answer.

"You hesitated! Why did you hesitate?" Hunter pointed at the young man, losing some already thin faith in the soldier.

"Listen, Hawkeye, all I'm sayin' is, it better be a good plan. Marching down there with some C7's and your cute little bow may sound really badass, but I plan on getting home alive so we're not going that route."

"Well...You have the vehicles." Hunter pointed upward, pointing out the armoured chasis of the LAV III.

""Your point? I don't think 'blow them up' is an immediate option in this case. Shoot first, ask questions later, isn't that how we roll Robin Hood. We've barely been here for that long - let's try a solution that doesn't involve both sides getting blown the hell up!"

"Yes, but you have vehicles, and they don't know you're here, or how much equipment you have."

"And?" To Jack, it sounded like a repeat of what he had just said. "Get to the point."

"Leave your vehicles and a defensive element behind while you and I take a vehicle with a team, probably your squad and RNJR, and approach the Alsius head on and force a delegation."

"You're insane." Jack laughed. He Laughed at the man.

"What?" Hunter asked impatiently.

Now Jack stood up to meet Hunter, not able to believe what he was hearing "Your idea is literally the one I said NOT to do, except with a LAV III. The armor may look tough, but against an army? Yeah that ain't gonna last long, Katniss Everdeen!"

"Just listen, kid. Your advantage is that they don't know you. They won't know if you're lying about your numbers if just a single vehicle goes down there."

"...Okay I see what you're saying, but what good does one LAV do for us?"

"Your Captain wants proof? That's how we'll get it. We'll go down there with an armoured vehicle, get your proof about them holding those people hostage, and then we'll act accordingly."

"Act accordingly? So...Our plan is to infiltrate the ship like CSOR operators, and just walk around real quiet like, take a couple pictures and walk out, with a towns worth of people and call it a day?"

"Not necessarily, since your chain of com-...you were being sarcastic weren't you?"

"Yes. Yes I was." Carver nodded.

"Ugh...Listen, we'll take an officer or one of your junior leaders that can vouch the information to your commanders, then we'll go from there."

"What if they decide to just blow us up?"

"Well, that's another benefit of having just one vehicle. It's just one."

"Great. So they'll just kill us, and not the whole platoon."

"If it's that bad, you come up with an idea!"

"I'm a Private, that's not my domain. Listen, I think it could work, I just don't see leadership signin' off on it."

"Okay then what do we do?"

"...We're gonna need backup." Jack stroked his chin, thinking hard.

"I thought you said marching down there wasn't a good idea?"

"It isn't. Risking open combat with a technologically superior army, regardless of how rogue, is a really shitty plan...But at least if things go south, we'll have reinforcements to try and fight back. There are another two companies still sittin' on the beach guarding the Brock. If we can get even one of them to augment that defensive element you were on about, we'll at least stand a chance if this gets ugly. Two companies and some LAVs versus whatever they've got. Not ideal, but…"

"Fine. Is that everything?"

"It's as good as it's gonna get from a Private and a detainee chatting in the back of a LAV."

"Very well, are you gonna go tell Owens?"

Jack didn't answer and looked at the ground, having some second thoughts.

"Come on...You owe me. You said you were gonna tell me how to kill Fenrir. You still haven't. At least do this for me."

Jack visibly recoiled at the mention of Fenrir.

"Why do you hate that guy so much anyways…?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now...Just...get us that support…"

"Fine. I'll run the plan by them." Jack stood up abruptly and went to exit the LAV but stopped himself. "Uhh...one sec."

Jack looked around before shouting.

HEY! HEY, JEROME!" Jack shouted to his friend, who stayed under the nearby shady tree.

"Yeah?" Jerome looked up like a meerkat.

"Get over here!"

"Okay!" The young man swiftly got to his feet.

Moments later, Jerome trotted over to the LAV.

"What's up, man?"

"Can you watch him for a sec? Gotta take a leak."

"What? Still don't trust me?" Hunter quipped from the interior of the vehicle.

The soldier looked over his shoulder, wearing a plain expression before nodding rapidly. "Yeah, exactly."

Jerome ignored the warrior and paid attention to Jack's request. "Sure buddy, make it quick though, no going to hide behind a LAV to write in your diary, okay?"

"...Come on man it's a journal…" Jack looked down and rubbed his bicep shyly.

"Whatever, Princess! Go on!"

"This is an abusive relationship, Jerome!" Jack looked over his shoulder while walking away in search of Owens.

"Then why don't you just leave! I'll leave your shit on the curb! You'll still come back!" Jerome quipped.

With his comrade gone, Jerome took a seat in the LAV. Hunter retreated to his original spot, opting to be quiet with this soldier instead.

"...Soooo…" Jerome started, fiddling with his hands.

Hunter looked over to him, looking rather disinterested.

"Are there any...women in the village?"

"Shut up."

FIVE MINUTES LATER
TEMPORARY COMMAND POST

Jack made his way through the concealed temporary command post, being wary of any troops that may know that he was supposed to be on shift. He spotted two Section's 2IC amongst team RNJR and a handful of the command team, including Captain Dietz himself. The young soldier eased himself toward the Corporal, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, as difficult as it was.

"Hey...Owens…" Jack whispered, trying to get his attention.

"One sec, Jack, I'm chatting with Ren." Owens dismissed him and turned to face Ren again. "So...They're animals, that are like people? They can talk and stuff?"

"Not quite. Think of a regular human, like you or myself. Then, apply certain animal traits; be it in appearance or in function."

"Appearance or in Function? Is there a distinction? I'm a grunt man, you gotta break it down Barney style for me. Do they have a natural advantage?"

"You could argue that, yes. It depends on the traits, really. Some may have a tactical advantage, like you said, others may just come off as...gimmicks, you could say."

"So those White Fang soldiers we faced...It's safe to say they have wolf like traits? Speed, smell and enhanced sight?"

"One could wager that, yes. Or, they're simply incredibly skilled and have the defensive boosts in the form of Auras."

"Which means they likely have semblances to back it up, right?"

"Very likely. It just seems our enemy has chosen not to reveal it yet."

"Well, looks like we've got our work cut out for us. Thanks for the info, Ren."

"Of course, Corporal Owens." Ren nodded and returned to his team, discussing the next move with Captain Dietz.

The Corporal then turned to face Private Carver, looking a tad unimpressed.

"It's only been like ten minutes, don't tell me you're looking to trade shifts after you just relieved me, kid."

"No, don't worry I've got someone on em', I just need to talk to you."

Sam raised a brow. "About what?"

"Hunter and I have a plan on how to get down there!" Jack's voice was just barely a whisper, almost too excited to hide it.

"You what!?"

The Corporal's raised voice earned a few glances from the Officers. Dietz raised an eyebrow and locked eyes with Owens inquisitively, waiting for some non-verbal signal.

"Sshsshssh...Relaaax…" Jack lifted his hands in the air and rapidly lowered them, giving him the gesture to quiet down.

"We were told to watch him, not chat about how to siege an Atlesian battleship, Jack! Do you know how much trouble you'd be in if Farren found out?"

"I know, I know. But Farren isn't going to find out." Jack nudged Sam's shoulder expectantly.

"No." Sam crossed his arms, appearing dead set with his answer.

"Come on, you haven't even heard the plan yet!"

"No!"

"Sam, we're stuck out here doing nothing, we gotta get some help out here, and those people are the first step we need to start making some real progress!"

"I don't know, Jack. You're asking a lot of me."

"I know that too. But hey, what happened to having faith in me? Would I really send you off with a plan I didn't think was gonna work?"

"I kind of think you would…" Sam dragged a palm down his face with an exhausted grunt.

He muttered something to himself before gesturing Jack to continue.

"Ugh...alright, let's hear it. I swear to god if it is literally just walking down there I'll just kill us both to spare us and the Atlesian's the trouble." Owens pat the Browning strapped to his hip.

"No! Come on, what do I look like?" Jack threw his arms up in defense, half expecting an answer. "Don't answer that."

"Out with it, Jack."

"We drive down there!"

"Astonishing." Owens muttered.

"For real, hear me out!"

"Go on then."

"If we go down with a LAV, just one LAV. packing some heat, we don't give away how many of us there are and if shit goes sideways - it's just one LAV."

"Oh it's just one LAV. Y'know Jack, armoured vehicles are pretty expensive, and so is the insurance that the Canadian Military will have to pay our families when we get blown the hell up!"

"Fine, then stay here! I'll go down there, try my hand at some high grade, elite negotiations, get some civvies outta there and walk out like a badass all on my own."

"...Good God I hate my job...Jack you know I can't let you do that alone."

"Great! So you're coming?"

"...I hate you, Carver."

SEVERAL MINUTES LATER
TEMPORARY COMMAND POST
LAV III

Jack made his way back to the LAV, hands in his pockets and a cocky grin plastered on his face.

"That was the longest piss break...ever." Jerome crossed his arms.

"Yeah I drank too much water, you're good to go man, thanks for covering me."

"You owe me!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, get going."

Jack took a seat in the LAV, kicking his feet up and placing his arms behind his head in a relaxed posture. Hunter waited patiently for the update, which didn't come.

"...Well?"

"Well, I told Sam, he's passing it up."

"That's it?"

"What did you want me to do? Creep from the bushes? My bathroom break couldn't last forever you know."

"Ugh…"

"Oh there is one thing!"

"What?"

"Sam said if my plan works, he'll quit smoking entirely."

"Your plan?" Hunter cocked an eyebrow.

"Our plan, whatever." Jack waved him off.

"...How did someone like you ever get even remotely close at standing a chance against Fenrir?" Hunter sighed and returned to his seat, faith plummeting in the plan as he did.

"Y'know, I've been asking myself that question often. Then I remember." Jack let out a small chuckle.

"Remember what?"

"Bullets are a lot more effective than bows and arrows, buddy."

"Sure, next time you see him, take him on without the girl's or her team's help."

"I'm cocky, not suicidal...moron."

After a moment of silence, Sam could be seen coming through the trees towards the LAV parking space. Jack stood up and met the man halfway, grabbing his rifle on his way down the ramp.

"Well? What did they think?"

Hunter stood up and came to the entrance of the troop carrier, listening in.

Sam stayed quiet, staring blankly at Carver.

"Come on, man!"

Owens slowly reached into the shoulder pocket of his combat shirt and retrieved his pack of smokes. Jack half expected him to eject a cigarette from the pack and attempt to light it. However, the Corporal dropped the packet into the dirt and crushed it under his boot.

"No way!" Jack grinned and looked over his shoulder to Hunter, who looked equally as shocked.

"Briefing in twenty at the CP. Bring Hunter."

"You got it!"

"Hmph. Yeah, let's just hope it works." Sam shook his head and walked away.

HMCS SIR ISAAC BROCK
OFFICERS WARDROOM
LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER KENDALL

Kendall threw open the wardroom door, keeping it open for Reid who followed close behind. What few officers sat around the table stood up upon seeing the XO

"Don't stand up." Kendall closed the door behind Reid and came around the table. "Lets just get this over with."

The group was smaller than the last meeting held. Scotty, Reid and McDowell were the only officers present. Kendall approached the head of the table, tossing his XO hat onto his spot. It hit him that he was sitting in Dietz's spot, it didn't feel quite right.

"Bravo Company went ashore almost ten hours ago. Where are we?" Kendall interlocked his fingers, pulling closer to the table.

"No contacts sighted on the beachhead or in the immediate area surrounding the ship. My men have a strong presence established. Nothing's getting through." Reid responded promptly

"Good. Mcdowell?"

"All birds are fueled and locked up. Ready and waiting below decks, Sir."

"All good news. Lets get underway and link up with the ground team on the far side of the island. I want the area in the range of the Five-inch. How does ahead ⅓ sound to you Scotty? The Chief Engineer didn't make eye contact at first, he stared intently at a chip in the table. "Scotty, how does ⅓ sound to you." Again, no response. "If the engines can't handle ⅓ then-"

"Ahead ⅓ is acceptable to me sir, if you had engines to do it."

The room turned towards Scotty, who was still staring down the chip. KendalL leaned back disapprovingly in his chair, clearing his throat.

"What?"

"The problem was not with the units themselves, it was the pipes carrying the steam from the reactor. We were so caught up in overworking the engines, we never considered the PSI in the tubes. We disconnected the engines from the reactor about an hour ago for maintenance."

"We hit an EMP getting here. We had to salvage a navy ship to kickstart those engines. And now you've taken them offline again."

"I understand the sacrifices made sir but-"

"What will all this look like?" Reid interjected.

Scotty let out a brief sigh, turing his chair to face the officer.

"The reactor will continue to power the rest of the ship, we've siphoned off the water from the cooling tanks for the men while we make repairs. We'll need an hour tops, then a little longer to cycle power."

Reid looked back to Kendall, still staring down Scotty at the other end. The commander was furrowing his brow, thinking of their next move

"An hour Scotty, not a second more."

"Understood Capt- I mean Commander. We're on it."

1ST BATTALION, ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT
BRAVO COMPANY
1ST PLATOON
2 SECTION
PTE JACK CARVER

Jack accompanied RNJR and their still somewhat reluctant detainee, Hunter, to the designated meeting spot within the temporary command post. It was here that the hasty plan would be presented in greater detail and a concept of operation and scheme of maneuver was to be formed.

"You okay?" Jaune asked Jack, who had been uncharacteristically quiet.

"...Ever feel like you made a choice that was way above your head? Or just overall made a wrong call?" Jack ignored the question, and instead asked his own. He looked to the Huntsman for guidance.

Both were young and relatively inexperienced and yet they sought guidance from one another like they were full blown Huntsmen and Soldiers.

"Every single day..." Jaune responded. "Why?"

"Well, I keep thinking back to the village we were at a couple days ago, when you and I were on watch and we got shot at. I got yelled at for making that call...and now...well, let's just say I'm not so confident in a recent decision I've made…"

"I constantly think about what I could have possibly done to stop Pyrrha from fighting alone...What I could've done to stop her from…"

Jack could guess what the rest of the sentence was when Jaune fell silent.

"Ruby is a much better leader than I ever was...She has this way of making decisions, good or bad, and living with them. She always says any decision is better than no decision, agree or not."

"You don't agree?"

"Never said I didn't agree...I just refuse to be the one calling the shots from now on…It's for the best."

"Cut yourself some slack, man."

"You first."

Jack exhaled, seeing how Jaune turned the conversation on him, making his point more clear.

Jack and Hunter had made this plan to break the stagnancy in their mission. He just wasn't comfortable having it disguised as Sam's plan or people dying as a result. Earlier Jack had told Farren he could live with people dying for the greater overall good, but the closer they got to the potential threat of death of his brothers in arms, it dawned on him that he wasn't ready to be a leader yet.

Ruby looked over her shoulder with a somber expression. She heard every word.

The rest of the walk was silent.

Carver raised an eyebrow at the hefty presence before the meeting even began. Along with Captain Dietz himself, Bravo company's commander, Major Dawson, was of course present as the village search had been a Bravo company task. All three of his rifle platoon commanders including Lieutenant Bryson were also there along with their Section leadership.

Even Alpha company, more commonly referred to as Duke's Company after the Duke of Edinburgh, had it's commander, Major Clark present. He had opted to leave his Platoon leadership back for protection.

Such an amalgamation of high level leadership presented a hefty target...It made Jack uneasy. Not just because he did not really belong as a Private, but such leadership bunched together didn't always end well.

It disturbed the soldier just how easily Fenrir could tear through security and kill them all. Or Accalia, for that matter.

"There's the man of the hour." Major Dawson cleared his throat and gestured towards the arriving group, Hunter in particular.. "He give you any trouble, Private?"

"No, Sir." Jack answered immediately. "...Just a little talkative is all."

Hunter raised a brow and glanced back at Jack, unamused.

"Good to hear, Son." The Major turned his attention to the team of Huntsmen and Huntresses. "RNJR, always a pleasure. Please, sit."

The four complied, taking seats on a downed log placed around a Recce sketch of the area.

Jack stood guard on the perimeter, choosing not to stick his nose where it didn't belong.

"Private Carver." Captain Dietz spoke up.

"Sir." Jack spun on his heel to respond.

"I would prefer if you were involved in the planning."

"...Me, Sir?"

Major Dawson and Major Clark looked at each other, slightly confused. Normally they would object, but considering the circumstances and Dietz' absolute authority, they chose not to. They would discuss it with Colonel Reid in detail later.

"Yes, so far you seem to have the most experience during our time here, seems fit to me to keep that going."

"If you say so, Sir." Jack quickly and nervously scuttled his way over to Lieutenant Bryson and Master Corporal Farren, who had been watching him make his way over.

Farren leaned in, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Only speak when spoken to here, Kid. These aren't the guys to mess with."

"Understood, boss."

Some minutes passed while the group waited for stragglers and proper security to be set before beginning.

Captain Dietz observed the group, satisfied with the turnout.

"Alright." He stood up. "Suppose we should be begin. You've all been briefed on the situation as it was told to us by our gracious guest, Hunter."

Every section commander and Platoon officer withdrew their notepads from their vests, preparing to jot down important tactical information about the coming operation.

"However, Major Dawson was not satisfied, rightfully. A Recce team led by Warrant Gage surveyed the area, confirming a civilian presence being held against their will."

The Warrant and Private Carver locked eyes. It was the first time they saw each other since the crash. Gage nodded, taking the young soldier by surprise. Hastily and awkwardly, the soldier nodded back.

"Seems like our friend here was telling the truth all along, Lieutenant." Dietz looked over to Bryson, who was already observing Hunter with confusion.

"Seems that way, Sir…"

Dietz chuckled at the colossal waste of time Hunter's detention had been.

"Major Dawson, care to run through the plan?"

"With pleasure, Sir."

The Major stood up and grabbed a thin stick to point at the map model made by the Recce troops.

"Lieutenant Bryson, as per Corporal Owens' suggestion, I will be employing Two Section from First Platoon as well as our new friend Hunter for phase one. A single LAV will approach the Alsius while assault elements begin to take position in the surrounding woods. If we can't outnumber them, we can out maneuver them. Now that we have positive ID of civilians in the area, we can simply begin negotiations with only risking a single vehicle."

Jack raised a brow. The Major jumped to a possible assault relatively quickly.

"Miss Rose, with your permission I would also like to employ your team during this phase...It is dangerous, but I figured having Huntsmen broker a release may be more productive than Soldiers with guns pointed at them…"

"With respect Major, we'd be going down there either way." Jaune spoke out of turn.

No one expected to keep them out of the fray for long.

"Sure thing, Major. We'll head down there ourselves." Ruby spoke up, trying to seem as diplomatic as a young girl could.

"Much appreciated." Dawson nodded. "Speaking with Captain Dietz, we both agree that we need as many allies as we can get out here. If we can peacefully negotiate the release of the villagers as well as secure an alliance with the Atlesian rogues - then we'll have made a significant stride. However, if they show hostile intent to us, all bets are off and we go in and take the position with the intent of rescuing the hostages. Questions to me."

A single hand raised. Farren's.

"Master Corporal, go ahead."

"Sir, what if they enact ill intent on civilians in our presence...but not on us?"

Dawson looked over his shoulder, looking at Captain Dietz. "Rules of engagement, Sir?"

"Self-defence of you, your men….and non-combatants."

Farren nodded. "Understood, Sir."

A shiver went down Jack's spine. They were just cleared to engage if any civilians were harmed...such rules of engagement were a rarity in complicated scenarios. For the more experienced in the Regiment, it was a breath of fresh air.

"Listen up, everyone...Despite recce elements observing the site for hours, we cannot determine the amount of possible hostiles in the area...This is going to be a shot in the dark...We're not positive on what we'll find inside, so stay sharp. Hunter, once this is over, you'll be free to go, I appreciate your cooperation during this confusing event."

Hunter stayed silent and offered a nod of understanding.

"They're trained and well equipped." Ren spoke up. "They will surely be lacking some discipline...but they're still soldiers, Major. Expect a sturdy resistance should this go sour."

"Fine then. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that. Any questions?"

The group was silent.

"Alright, let's get on with it. Platoon commanders, get your men ready and on standby, ready to move in less than thirty. Move out."

25 MINUTES LATER
RCR TEMPORARY COMMAND POST
PTE JACK CARVER

"You were oddly quiet back there." Jack said to Hunter, who sat silently once his kit had been given back to him.

Hunter counted the amount of arrows he had, each primed with a different dust-infused tip for a unique result in the battlespace.

"Wasn't much for me to say. You lot already had your plan set."

Jack scoffed then whispered. "Our plan, remember?"

Hunter shook his head while counting. "Whatever you want to call it."

"They're gonna be fine, man." Jack counted the magazines loaded into his vest before looking up at Hunter again. "We'll get them out."

"Yeah." Hunter stood up. "I'm just tired of people I care about dying because the forces of this world can't mind their own damn business." The Coyote Faunus made his way over to their assigned LAV for the mission. "So excuse me if I see a tad skeptical, Private Carver."

Jack stayed silent and thought for a few moments, analyzing what the man had said. A few thoughts raced through the young soldier's mind about their previous conversation in the LAV. It all made sense now.

"He killed them. Didn't he? People you cared about? Family?

Hunter stopped in his tracks, but kept looking forward.

"...That's why you want to kill him so bad, isn't it?"

Jack could see the Faunus' fists tighten. If he didn't know any better, he would've guessed Hunter would punch him for prying so much. It was a vice for Jack that he couldn't help...He was rather awkward.

"...That's why you're gonna help me kill the bastard…"

He stormed off into the LAV, leaving it at that.

Jack sighed and looked for his helmet, the last thing he needed before they moved out.

"Jack!" Ruby called out from within the LAV.

He looked up, seeing the girl wearing his Cadpat covered Kevlar helmet. He flashed a small grin and began to head for the LAV. He stopped in his tracks when he heard a bird cawing at him.

His head snapped to investigate, seeing a Crow sitting in the trees watching him and the LAV. The soldier froze, seeing this bird yet again. He now knew it was no coincidence.

"...What do you want…?"

As if the animal heard him, the bird flew away, heading towards the Alsius' general direction.

"Coming, bro?" Jerome pat Jack on the shoulder before finding his chair in the vehicle.

Jack grunted and boarded the LAV, knowing inside that it wouldn't be the last time he'd see their stalker.

The hatch closed behind him.

10 MINUTES LATER
EN ROUTE TO ALSIUS

"Everytime that I look in the mirror...All these lines on my face gettin' clearer...The past is gone. It went by like, dusk to dawn, isn't that way, everybody's got their dues in life to pay."

The stereo system blared a familiar tune while the single LAV III rocked and rolled across the expansive valley.

Private Carver swayed back and forth with the vehicle as they got closer to the Alsius. He was no stranger to the somewhat violent ride one would get while in the vehicles, but his experience hardly put him at ease, Jack could feel them getting closer and closer. That was normally a good sign that they hadn't been blown into the sky- yet.

Still, their closing proximity to the Atlesian warship was not a comfort. It was a terror, in fact. There was no way to know how the Atlesians would react. Regardless of his lingering fear that he attempted to suppress by rapidly tapping his foot against the steel floor, Jack was just semi-happy to be on the move.

Jack and Hunter briefly locked eyes from opposite ends of the armoured vehicle. Between the both of them, Jack was surprised the LAV hadn't been pursued by some Grimm with the negative storm the duo was stirring up in their own heads.

"Ugh...I think I'm gonna be sick…" Jaune hunched over, looking pale.

"You alright?" Jerome put a hand on the Huntsman's shoulder, though slightly scooted off to the side to avoid any unforeseen bombardment emitting from Jaune.

"Vomit Boy doesn't take too well to bumpy rides." Ruby snickered.

"Motion sickness is a more common problem than people let on! I've told you this before!" Jaune defended himself but abruptly put a hand over his mouth with a groan.

"Many...Many...Many times…" Nora groaned.

"Just hang on a little longer." Master Corporal Farren started, climbing down from the command hatch. "We're almost there, I can make out a few of them scurrying around the compound."

"Do you think they've seen us yet?" Nora asked.

"Definitely. And considering we aren't dead yet, they're probably gonna come out and talk."

"Nothin's stopping em' from just gunning us down the moment we step out, keep your guards up." Sam stood up, cocking his C9, just in case.

"This was your idea, remember?" Farren heard the action being worked on the machine gun and glanced over his shoulder.

"Right." Sam nodded. "I'm such a moron." He added sarcastically, kicking Jack's leg when Farren wasn't looking.

Jack shrugged with a face that said "What?!"

"That being said, he's right. Ready up." Farren echoed Sam's advice, springing the group into action.

Jerome pat his fire team partner on the shoulder, trying to reassure him. "Come on man, we got this! It's gonna be a cake walk, we'll go out, tell em' what's what and get the people out and we can start making some real progress out here."

"Yeah, except there are a lot more of them, than there are of us…" Jack's hesitation in his own plan steadily grew the closer they got to the Alsius. The idea may have been masked as Sam's, but it was his own, and he'd have to live it down if it went south.

The doubt was apparently evident on his face. Ruby picked up on it and poked him gently, enough to get his attention.

"He's right, we've got this. It's a good plan as any. A call was made and we'll roll with it." She flashed him with her signature quirky grin, leading Jack to believe that she saw right through his attempt at deceiving the group into thinking such a brash idea was anyone else's but his own.

"Right…" Jack brought his left hand over to the charging handle on his rifle, pulling it to the rear and releasing it before safetying the rifle and loading a fourty millimeter grenade into the M203 below his hand guard.

"Throw on your lasers and mount MNVGs, if we get inside the ship I have a feeling they'll throw out the lights to get the advantage over us." Farren added to the set of orders.

Every soldier reached into their utility pouches, fishing for their lasers and night vision goggles. Jack retrieved the monocular device and fixed it to his helmet mount, leaving it in the upright position for later use. Next he positioned the laser on the tri-rail of his rifle, making sure the batteries were installed and the device left off for power storage.

"What are those?" Ruby asked, seeing the odd devices now present on every soldiers' helmets and weapons.

"Night vision and lasers that you can only see with the goggles, helps you see at night and in the dark. From what I understand, it doesn't create light, it amplifies light on an infrared spectrum for you to see clearly. The laser just helps you shoot bad guys better."

Jack removed his helmet from his head and placed it on top of Ruby's.

"Try it out." Jack lowered the monocular goggle down to Ruby's eye level and switched it on.

It was dark enough within the LAV to get a decent taste of what the man explained.

The huntress' vision was illuminated a deep green, making dark corners and obscure features visible.

"Awesome! Can I keep it?" Ruby yelled, staring at Jack with the goggle.

"Tell you what, we get inside, you can use it. You're probably a better shot anyway."

Ruby continued to toy around with the new equipment while the remainder readied themselves. Farren observed his unorthodox section and began handing out instructions.

"Sam, I want you on the far right with the SAW. Jack, on the left with the Fourty mike mike." Farren broke down his doctrine.

"Roger." Both men sounded off.

"Hunter, you're staying with me. Try anything funny that puts RNJR or my men at risk or try and turn on them, and I will not hesitate to shoot you dead, you get me?"

"I understand."

"Ruby, I'd like you on the side with Jack, if this gets ugly your speed and maneuverability will come in handy for flanking. Same with you, Ren, take the right side. Jaune, Nora, you're our heavy hitters, you'll be in the middle with me and the rest."

"Sounds good to me!" The girl chimed in, having no issue with the placement.

"Farren!" The LAV driver called out. "We're three hundred meters out! I'm gonna stop at seventy five so we can still use the twenty-five millimeter if shit goes haywire! Just so you're trackin' there's a shit load of debris in the field! Could be some good cover if you need it!"

"Roger that!" Farren yelled back. "Alright people, fingers on the triggers. They're rogues and capable of anything so don't let your guard down!"

Soon enough the LAV screeched to a halt and dropped the hatch.

Farren stepped towards the rear of the vehicle and observed the massive open field visible from the rear.

"Okay...Let's go."

Ruby returned Jack's helmet to him, throwing the Kevlar bucket onto his head before clipping the chin strap for him.

Immediately after all their preparations were complete, everyone rose and followed the Master Corporal.

The section emerged from the dark confines of the LAV, being suddenly blasted by the midday heat and brightness. The team moved into its extended line, taking position as Farren had directed in the vehicle. Once in place, Farren was the first to start walking towards the position. The ship, already a gargantuan specimen of military technology, was even bigger up close. Jack's view of the valley was completed engulfed by the corpse of a once flying Atlesian warship. Scorch marks and hull breaches were visible all over, despite a visible attempt at repairing some of the damage to the hull integrity...likely for weather protection seeing as there was no way the beast could fly any longer. The engines at the rear were hardly attached to the main body. Their LAV driver had been correct, the debris from the crash had been littered everywhere like a garbage dump, leaving shards of steel erupting out of the earth in all directions.

Immediately, Jack could see riflemen, at least the Atlesian equivalent of riflemen, taking positions along makeshift fortifications surrounding the enormous ship. Upon closer inspection, however, he could notice that among the heavily armoured soldiers were humanoid targets much stiffer in their movements, much taller and much scarier looking. They were machines. Robots armed to the teeth.

"...Told you they had Arnold, Jack..." Jerome muttered from across the line. "How the hell are we supposed to fight Terminators?"

"...Why the hell does everyone keep thinking weaponized robots are a good idea..." Jack whined, still watching the machines ready their weapons and take aim.

"Quiet down and relax, you two. Last thing we need is a Grimm parade strolling through in the middle of this shit." Farren muttered loud enough for the Privates to hear.

The closer the section got, the more on edge they became. Fingers found themselves in their trigger guards, their postures became more defensive - raising their weapons to the low ready position.

Between the two massive walls shielding the wreckage was a single gate, flanked by turrets obviously salvaged from the ship itself. Their size was frightening and would be a danger to armor should a fight break out.

Noticing the gate open, Ren approached and nudged the Master Corporal on the shoulder. "We're getting pretty close, maybe we should start to negotiate before they engage us."

"Yeah, I'm thinkin' the same thing..." Farren nodded.

The soldier cleared his throat upon seeing a handful of Atlesian soldiers emerge from the wreckage built gate. Two autonomous death machines, two human soldiers and an officer, or at least a leader, began to approach the section.

"HALT! OR YOU WILL BE FIRED UPON!" The man, clad in grey armor with green accents shouted.

"Two section, hold." Farren said loud enough for everyone to immediately stop and began scanning their arcs of responsibility while they waited for the next move.

"THIS IS A RESTRICTED KINGDOM OF ATLAS MILITARY OPERATIONS ZONE, IDENTIFY YOURSELVES IMMEDIATELY!" The man screamed at them, reaching for the sidearm attached to his hip.

As if on cue, all of them raised their weapons, beckoning the Canadians to respond.

"...Military operations zone my ass..." Jack muttered to himself after a nervous shiver shot down his spine.

Farren lightly and discretely pressed the push to talk switch on his radio, transmitting to the LAV. "...If these pricks open fire, let em' have it."

"Roger." An immediate response came through.

The LAV's 25mm turret could be heard swiveling to the front.

"Gentlemen, the guns aren't necessary! My name is George Farren! I'm a...warrior, from another village!" Farren sparred them the soldiers from another 'somewhere' story, getting tired of retelling it. "And these are my friends. They are Huntsmen and Huntresses who are investigating the disappearance of villagers in the surrounding area. Think you could help us out? Seen em' anywhere?"

"Huntsmen? Who, those children and the wild animal?!" The Atlesian soldier pointed out RNJR, and Hunter.

Hunted took a step forward, but Farren's hand prevented any progress.

"I'd appreciate if you didn't insult my colleagues. They may look like kids, but they are veterans of the battle of beacon. And my friend here isn't a pushover either, so please, curb your insults, Soldier. You're representing your Kingdom while in your uniform."

Each of the Atlesians looked visible disturbed by the mention of Beacon, but then laughed at him when he mentioned their kingdom. A trait Farren immediately picked up on.

"You're on Atlesian military property, you can't tell me what I can, and cannot do, Mr Farren! Huntsmen or not! So why don't you get back in your truck, turn around and go back the way you came."

Jack's heart sank. He had a feeling it was going to go south already. Ruby glanced at him, flashed him a smile and stepped forward, taking a stance next to Farren.

"Look, we're not here for any trouble. We just want to know where those people went. Maybe we can help each other out! We know Atlas wasn't responsible for Beacon, so helping us find those people would really help to ease tensions. Looks like you're stuck here because of your ship, we can help if you help us." Ruby tried her hand at negotiating, proving to be much more mature than she usually let on.

"Sorry, Huntress. We haven't seen anybody. It's just us here and we're fine. So if you'd kindly move along!"

Jack observed each Atlesian carefully. Their armor, dress, deportment and overall conduct was different for each soldiers. There was a visible lack of discipline that screamed "rogue."

"Lying son of a bitch..." Hunter cursed through his teeth, wanting to get at the Atlesian Sergeant.

"You see...I'm not inclined to believe that." Farren sighed, seeing where it was headed.

"You see, I don't give a damn what you believe or not! Leave. Now! Go back to your village and stop encroaching on an Atlas military operation!"

The Atlesians raised their arms again.

"You're not fooling anyone you lying bastard!" Hunter lashed out, knocking an arrow and raising his bow. "You're gonna release those innocent people right now or I put one between your eyes!"

The Atlesians began to yell, all threatening to blow the Faunus away with ease. "I'll kill you, Mutt! Give me a reason!" Other slurs and shouts harassed the section.

"Hunter, god damn it!" Farren pulled him back, keeping him out of harms way.

"Say the word, boss! I'll cut em' down!" Sam dropped to his stomach with the C9, picking out targets.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Ruby stepped between the two escalating groups. "Enough!"

Both groups seemed to relax, slightly lowering their weapons and, if only for a moment, thinking a conflict could be avoided.

"Look...We saw." Ruby pointed to the Atlesian Sergeant. "We watched you for hours. We know they're in there...Just let them go. We're on the same side here!"

The Atlesians all froze, like they were children caught by their parents. In this case, they were criminals who were caught by Soldiers and Huntsmen.

There were a few moments of silence. No doubt the Atlesians were weighing their options.

Seeing only one vehicle and a handful of potential threats, their choice was clear and apparently easy.

"THEY KNOW! OPEN FIRE!"

The Atlesian soldier lifted his sidearm and took an immediate volley of shots at the red-haired huntress, lighting her aura up a brilliant bright red. She recoiled and avoided the incoming fire with her semblance, re-positioning before equipping Crescent Rose to begin the battle.

There was a split second in which soldiers on both sides had to process what was about to happen.

Hunter shook free from Farren and drew his bow the same time that Jack had swapped from safe, to automatic.

"FIRE!" Farren screamed over the first shot. "GET TO COVER! NOW!"

Jack and Hunter had the same target. With intense haste, both men sent arrows and lead hurtling at the Atlesian Sergeant, blasting through his aura and killing the man swiftly. Neither warrior knew who did the heavy lifting and neither cared.

An absolute hellfire of rounds erupted from both sides, forcing the Canadians into cover behind the LAV and among the debris.

The cracks and whips of rounds just narrowly missing each soldier's head harassed their ears from the moment they started. The enemy had the numbers and the highground. They needed to make a move before they became fully pinned down and would need to last long enough for the reinforcements to arrive now that the fight had started.

"GUNNER! TAKE OUT THOSE WALLS!" Farren screamed into his headset. "WE'RE GONNA NEED THEM DOWN AND THOSE TURRETS DOWN FOR THE REINFORCEMENTS! MAKE IT QUICK! EVERYONE ELSE, LET EM' HAVE IT! RAPID RATE!"

Two section and the Huntsmen with ranged weaponry sent back a harassing volley against the fortification, striking armor and auras while obliterating Atlesian mech units.

One of the Atlesian turrets began to pivot, targeting the LAV III and sending a hail of explosive rounds at the vehicle.

"Look out! LOOK OUT!" Nora screamed loud enough for the whole team to hear.

Everyone looked up, seeing the incoming rain of death. Anyone that could run, dove for better cover. Those that couldn't, braced.

The ensuing explosion obliterated their vehicle, sending smoldering shrapnel everything and sending Jack hurtling to the ground with an aggressive thrash.

For Carver, everything went black...

A/N: As always, we thank all of you for the continued support. We have spent a great deal of time these last few months planning out the stories we want to tell and the arcs of each of the characters. To that end, we've invested a great deal of time keeping to Canadian Forces doctrine and RWBY lore. We encourage all to comment and/or PM their thought to us so we may continue to improve. We also encourage readers to browse the Glossary below for terms they are unfamiliar with, as well as read up on our characters; each of which has their own summarized biography. As always, thank you for reading.

-*GLOSSARY OF TERMS*-

REGIMENTS: - *NEW ENTRIES*

RCR- The Royal Canadian Regiment; a Regular Force Infantry Regiment of the Canadian Army.

PPCLI- Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry; a Regular Force Infantry Regiment of the Canadian Army.

R22R- The Royal 22e Régiment, or The Royal 22nd Regiment (Commonly known as: The Van Doos); the third and final Regular Force Infantry Regiment of the Canadian Army. (We haven't mentioned this Regiment as of this chapter, but we thought it was important to put down).

JTF2- Joint Task Force 2, Canadian Tier 1 Special Forces.
CSOR- Canadian Special Operations Regiment, Canadian Tier 2 Special Forces tasked with a role similar to that of US Army Rangers or Delta Force - *NEW*

STRUCTURE:

BATTALION- An organization of rifle companies and a support company. (Usually commanded by a Lieutenant-Colonel)

COMPANY- An organization of three rifle platoons and a support platoon. (Usually commanded by a Captain or Major)

PLATOON- An organization of three rifle sections and a heavy weapons detachment. (Usually commanded by a 2nd Lieutenant or full Lieutenant)

SECTION- A group of 8-10 Infantry soldiers (Commonly mistaken for "Squad") (Usually commanded by a Sergeant or a senior Master Corporal)

FIRE TEAM- A team of 2 soldiers (Commanded by the most senior member of the fireteam)

COMMAND:

IC-Broad term for an individual who is the Commander or 'In Command' (Examples: Section IC, Platoon IC, Company IC)

2IC- Broad term for an individual who is 'Second in Command' (Examples: Section 2IC, Platoon 2IC, Company 2IC)

CM- Commissioned Member. A Canadian Forces member who holds a commission from the Queen or reigning Monarch of England. Typically known as "Officers" (2nd Lieutenant and above)

NCM- Non-Commissioned Member of the Canadian Armed Forces (Private Basic- Chief Warrant Officer)

COMPANY QUARTERMASTER- Company Quartermaster, or CQ, is the individual appointed by the chain of command to be in charge of the company's weaponry maintenance, keeping track of and handing out weaponry.

GEAR: - *NEW ENTRIES*

CADPAT- Canadian Disruptive Pattern (The camouflage pattern printed on combat uniforms, body armour, tactical vests, helmets, etc).

COMBAT SHIRT- A combat shirt is different from the traditional military top. It is a top designed to be worn beneath heavy sweat inducing body armour. The torso is made of a soft, moisture-wicking material similar to that of Under Armour to provide comfort. The arms are made of traditional uniform material and still have the CADPAT camouflage printed on them. (For a visual, search "Cadpat Combat Shirt" on google images).

TAC VEST- Short for Tactical Vest. Tactical Vests are load bearing equipment that holds useful supplies for soldiers. Specifically ammunition, grenades and medical supplies.

IFAK- Individual First Aid Kit. A personal kit for a soldier usually mounted on their vest.

FRAG VEST- The Canadian Forces' Frag Vest is designed to protect against fragmentation, however, has since seen an upgrade featuring slots for ballistic plates to protect the wearer's vital organs from ballistic weapons.

LEVEL 3+ PLATES- Ballistic plates designed by AR500 Armor, provides significant protection from firearms (slots into the Frag Vest).

MECHANIX M-PACT- The M-Pact series glove has individual thermoplastic rubber finger guards to protect against blunt force trauma against the hands and fingers as well as a reinforced index finger and thumb pieces to increase grip on tools or weaponry.

MNVG- Short for "Monocular Night Vision Goggle", this tool helps soldiers see at night and in dark spaces by amplifying any existing light source in the area. The device is able to mount to a soldier's helmet if they have a mount attached. - *NEW*

PEQ 14- A laser which can be mounted towards the front of a weapon that can assist with aiming while using MNVGs as the laser is visible through the NVG spectrum only. - *NEW*

INFANTRY WEAPONS:

C7A2- Standard Issue Rifle to the Canadian Armed Forces. Similar platform to the US Armed Forces' M4 and M16 series. 5.56x45mm round.

C8- Carbine variant of the C7A2. (Shorter barrel length than the full sized C7A2).

C9A2 LMG- Canadian Forces Light Machine Gun. Extremely similar to the US armed forces' M249

C6 GPMG- The C6 General Purpose Machine Gun is a platoon weapon chambered in 7.62 caliber rounds. There is generally one per platoon, however, it can also be mounted on top of vehicles such as the LAV III

BROWNING HI-POWER- Standard handgun of the Canadian Forces. Typically used by officers and section commanders, however, on deployments, they are issued to common troops. (Yes, it is 'Hi' Power, not 'High' Power oddly enough). Chambered in 9mm.

M203- Grenade Launcher capable of being under mounted to the C7A2. 40mm Grenade.

C-13- Standard issue fragmentation grenade for use by Canadian Infantry.

FOURTY MIKE MIKE- Another name for the M203 grenade launcher. The weapon fires 40mm grenades and the phonetic alphabet title corresponding with M is Mike.

THE 9- Slang for the C9A2 LMG

CARL GUSTAV- The Carl Gustav, or Carl G, is an 84mm 'recoilless rifle' capable of anti-armor missions. It is a shoulder mounted rocket launcher.

M32 MGL- A revolver style grenade launcher used by the USMC (United States Marine Corps).

C14 TIMBERWOLF- The Timberwolf is the Sniper Rifle used by the Infantry's sniper units. It is a bolt action rifle chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum

NON-INFANTRY WEAPONS:

JDAM- The Joint Direct Attack Munition is a guidance kit that converts unguided bombs, or "dumb bombs" into all-weather "smart" munitions. Canadian variants require laser targeting from troops on the ground.

MARK-45 NAVAL ARTILLERY- Features an automatic loader with a capacity of 20 rounds. These can be fired under full automatic control, taking a little over a minute to exhaust those rounds at maximum fire rate. The gun is designed for use against surface warships, anti-aircraft and shore bombardment to support amphibious operations.

25MM CANNON- The primary weapon of the LAV III. Fires heavy 25mm rounds. Can be referred to as "The 25"

ARTY- Short for Artillery.

AA- Anti-Air

VEHICLES:

CF-18- Canadian F/A-18E/F Super Hornet variant.

MILCOT- Military Commercial Off the Shelf (Military acquired vehicles)

CH-146 GRIFFON- The Bell CH-146 Griffon is a multi-use utility helicopter of the Huey family, designed by Bell Helicopter Textron as a variant for the Canadian Armed Forces

CH-148 Cyclone- The CH-148 is designed for shipboard operations and is intended to replace the venerable CH-124 Sea King, which has been in operation since 1963. Primarily operated by the RCAF

LEOPARD 2A4M CAN MBT- The Leopard 2A4M Main Battle Tank is the Canadian Forces' tank of the armoured corps. Originally made in Germany, the Leopard 2 has seen many upgrades and changes at the hands of the Canadian military.

SEA KING- The Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed for shipboard use by Canadian Naval forces, based on the US Navy's SH-3 and has been continuously in service with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Canadian Forces since 1963.

SEA AVENGER- Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike aircraft.

LAV- Light Armoured Vehicle. Standard troop transport and defensive vehicle used by Canadian Infantry

RHIB- Rigged Hulled Inflatable Boat. Fits 8-12 people including a driver and an optional gunner on the bow

HMCS ALGONQUIN- Iroquois class destroyer used by the Royal Canadian Navy from 1973- 2015. Carries the NATO standard DDG classification.

HMCS BONAVENTURE- Fourth and final aircraft carrier used by the Royal Canadian Navy.

After a service of 14 years, she was decommissioned and scrapped in 1971.

HMCS ENDEAVOUR- Research ship that was first through the anomaly. The Polar Class 2 Icebreaker was commissioned by the Canadian Coast Guard, later procured for the expedition.

HMCS SIR ISAAC BROCK- Canadian Amphibious Assault Ship, based upon the American Wasp Class under the same classification. Modified from the American design to complement fixed-wing aircraft.

HMCS VICTORIA- One of four long-range hunter-killer (Sub-Surface Killer) submarines of the Royal Canadian Navy, the lead ship of her class. She is named after the city of Victoria, British Columbia.

USS PENNSYLVANIA- SSBN- 735 serves as one of many American Ohio-class submarines, outfitted with 24x TRIDENT II Nuclear cruise missiles. With a 475 Kiloton yield per missile, 735 as well as her sister ships, serves as an important part of America's Nuclear Triad.

POLITICAL:

PM-Prime Minister of Canada

MND- Minister of National Defence

CDS- Chief of the Defence Staff

NATO- North Atlantic Treaty Organization

J.A.G- Judge Advocate General. The entity responsible for providing lawyers for military cases in summary trials or court marshals.

NAVAL TERMINOLOGY:

BOW- Front of a boat

CIC- Combat Information Center

CVN- Hull Classification symbol. "C" means aircraft carrier, "V" indicates fixed wing (vice rotating wings as on helicopters), and "N" stands for nuclear powered. So CVN means "aircraft carrier, fixed wing, nuclear powered". 001 represents the ship's Identification number to other NATO vessels on sonar.

CIWS- (Sea-whiz) or Close-In Weapons System or any variant is standard on all NATO vessels and is capable of firing radar guided 20mm shells from is Gatling gun on a swiveling base. Nicknamed 'R2D2' Because of the dome-like housing.

C.O- Commanding Officer of the vessel. Commonly referred to as "Captain" although rarely does a C.O hold such a rank. Unless an officer aboard holds the rank of Captain than the crew is free to call his/her C.O the captain. Typically the "Captain" has the rank of Commander despite being the "Captain" (Senior Officer) of the vessel. (Confusing, right?)

EMP- Electromagnetic Pulse. Short circuits all technology within a given range

X.O- Second in Command of the Vessel. Typically the X.O. holds the rank of Lieutenant-Commander

FANTAIL- Rear gangway system that spans the entire vessel

FLANK SPEED- Flank speed is a nautical term referring to a ship's true maximum speed, but it is not equivalent to the term full speed ahead. Usually, flank speed is reserved for situations in which a ship finds itself in imminent danger.

HELM/HELMSMAN- Junior officer in command of steering the vessel while under the command of a senior officer. The helmsman is bound to follow the orders of these officers even if it threatens the safety of the ship and cannot make judgment calls on behalf of officers.

HMCS- Her Majesty's Canadian Ship.

ISLAND TOWER- The bridge tower on the starboard side of the vessel. Primary entrance and exit for those on the flight deck.

KNOT- Unit of speed that represents one nautical mile. Equivalent to 1.8 km or 1.1 miles.

NAV/ NAVIGATION OFFICER- Typically the third highest ranking member of the command crew and is in charge of updating the C.O or X.O with relevant navigation data and updates from the ship's CIC, flight control, and listening stations.

OOW- Officer of the Watch. Also, acts as a temporary commanding officer if the X.O or C.O is not present on the bridge.

PORT- Left-hand side of the ship

REVOLUTION LIMITERS & ENGINE SAFETIES- Safety protocols to protect the engines from long-term damage due to overworking. Such protocols can be temporarily overridden to increase the speed of a vessel when receiving resistance from the sea or to decrease the distance to a target.

TAO- (Tee- aee-oh) Tactical Operations Officer who is in charge of coordinating fire control on a naval vessel.

QUIET ORDERS- Systematic orders to reduce the effects of sonar upon a target by reducing the amount of noise and visual identification markers on the surface.

STARBOARD- Right-hand side of the ship

STERN- Back of a ship

CONN- The act of controlling a ship's movement and direction.

1MC- Ship-wide public address system.

BRIDGE WING- A balcony type platform only accessible on the bridge that allows for an unobstructed view of a ships surroundings.

BASES:

CFB PETAWAWA- Headquarters for 1st and 3rd Battalions of the Royal Canadian Regiment.

CFB ESQUIMALT- Headquarters for the Canadian Pacific Fleet. Located on Victoria Island, British Columbia.

CFB HALIFAX- Headquarters for the Canadian Atlantic Fleet. Located in the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

UNS BASE GUAM- United States Naval Station Guam is one of many NATO designated ports for member nations to use and serves as an ANNEX for Navy ordnance

CFB EDMONTON- CFB Edmonton, also referred to as "Club-Ed" is a detention facility for Canadian Forces members run by the Military Police.

CHARACTERS: - *NEW ENTRIES*

ARMY

PRIVATE JACK CARVER- A relatively new member to 1RCR, Jack Carver is a seventeen-year-old Toronto born soldier in the Canadian Army's Infantry Corps. Jack joined the army to emulate his father, Desmond, and serve his country. The young soldier is fairly awkward, credited to his age. He can be sarcastic and quippy, but most believe this to be in defence of his nervousness and awkwardness. Though young and relatively inexperienced prior to the Remnant Incident, Jack Carver has the potential to be a hyper-lethal soldier as he is reported to have a sense of purpose that is almost frightening

PRIVATE JEROME LEWIS- Close friend and fireteam partner to Jack Carver, Jerome Lewis, a nineteen-year-old Infantry soldier, joined the military and was placed on the same BMQ and Infantry course as Jack, and was posted to 1RCR with him, forging a close bond between the soldiers over their years of training together. Lewis is often described as the funny man of the group, often earning the nickname "Joker" among peers and is almost always trying to crack a joke to lighten the situation.

CORPORAL SAM OWENS- A generally moody, yet talented C9 machine gunner, Corporal Owens is the second in command of 2-Section to test his capabilities for a primary leadership course to obtain the rank of master corporal. For the most part, Corporal Owens cares little about the rank, and more about the well being of his men, even if it's hard to notice under his brash demeanor.

CORPORAL CODY ROSS- The Company medic for Bravo Company, Cody Ross is a talented medical expert, having spent years as an EMT before enlisting in the Canadian Army to treat battlefield wounds.

CORPORAL JOSEPH AIDEN- Joseph Aiden is a company asset Sniper for Bravo Company, 1RCR assigned to a sniper team led by Warrant Officer Gage. Aiden is reported as being relatively laid back and calm that lines up with most snipers in the Canadian Forces.

MASTER CORPORAL GEORGE FARREN- 1RCR veteran soldier George Farren is one of the experienced soldiers in the battalion, having several tours in Afghanistan including the infamous Operation Medusa in which Farren engaged and killed several enemy combatants. He is now the commander of 2-Section within 1st Platoon to test his leadership capabilities and to prepare him for the rank of Sergeant. He knows how to kill, now the chain of command tests if he can lead.

WARRANT OFFICER MICHAEL GAGE- Warrant Officer Gage, or simply; Warrant Gage is the acting Sniper/Recce Det Commander for Bravo Company, and was the man in charge of the recce mission to mistral that failed when the White Fang shot down their CH-146 shortly after take off. With a diminished team, Gage still operates as a Recce element for the Company when needed, and an Infantry front line Warrant when necessary. - *NEW*

LIEUTENANT PAUL BRYSON- Paul Bryson initially joined the military as a non-commissioned member and was trained by Master Corporal Farren on his Infantry course. Sometime after, the man commissioned, using his university degree to become an Officer and now leads 1st Platoon within Bravo Company of 1RCR.

MAJOR GAVIN DAWSON- Major Dawson is the Company Commander of Bravo Company of 1RCR, encompassing 1st (Lt. Bryson), 2nd (Formerly Lt. Bishop) and 3rd Platoons as well as their respective weapons detachments. - *NEW*

MAJOR RYAN CLARKE- Major Clarke is the company commander of Alpha Company of 1RCR - commonly reffered to as "Duke's Company" due to its lineage and connection with the Duke of Edinburgh, His Royal Highness Prince Phillip. - *NEW*

LIEUTENANT COLONEL DARREN REID- Darren Reid is the Commanding Officer of the entire 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment after spending several years as a lower ranked officer in the Battalion. An experienced soldier and leader.

NAVY

COMMANDER WILLIAM DIETZ-Commanding Officer of the Isaac Brock, Captain William Dietz is a seasoned sailor in the Royal Canadian Navy. Dietz first tour of duty was on Canada's last aircraft carrier, HMCS Bonaventure and slowly climbed the ranks until his first command during the first Gulf War in 1991. After his many commands and long career, Dietz has become old guard in the Navy. He heavily follows protocol, even when the situation may not call for it. This made him the prime candidate for command of the Navy's newest flagship. The Isaac Brock has had many successful deployments under Dietz, but Remnant will test even his resolve.

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER MICHAEL KENDALL-Serving as Executive Officer aboard the Brock, Lieutenant- Commander Michael "Mike" Kendall is a fresh face in the Royal Canadian Navy. For many years he served as a pilot in the Air Force before changing his trade to the Navy. Unlike many officers, Kendall takes a more hands-on approach to leadership. He is considered the buffer between the higher officers and non-commissioned members aboard the ship. This alternate approach to command means he sometimes bends the rules to get results, putting him at odds with Dietz. Like any good soldier Kendall remains loyal to a fault, and despite their differences, Dietz and Kendall run one of the most highly rated crews in the Navy.

LIEUTENANT ASHLEY BECKETT-Lieutenant Ashley Beckett is one of the many officers who works behind the scenes to keep the ship running smoothly. Her position as Officer of the Watch leaves her in command whenever Dietz or Kendall are not manning the bridge and relays all commands aboard the ship. Unlike her XO, Beckett's family is career Navy, meaning her only real choice was between serving on a surface vessel or submarine. Like many of the lower officers, she still has much to learn from those appointed above her

CHIEF ENGINEER RICHARD SCOTT-Without the engineering prowess of Chief Engineer Richard Scott, the HMCS Sir Isaac Brock would simply be a 41,000 tonne paperweight. A tedious education through the Royal Military College, Fleet school and a masters in marine engineering made him a prime candidate for the Brock's senior command. Nicknamed after the chief engineer of the USS Enterprise, Scotty is a workaholic who mainly keeps to the lower decks, though he'll tell you "It's not work if you love it." Scotty marshals the resources of tens of highly trained engineers and oversees one of the most complex power plants at sea. There simply is no one more qualified than him, or crazy enough.

AIRFORCE

LIEUTENANT OLIVIA LANGER- Taking after her mother, Langer joined the airforce the moment she could with the intent of flying jets. After some time flying CF-18's and even instructing, Langer wanted to try something new and transferred to the tactical helicopter squadrons that fly the CH-146.

REMNANT

RUBY ROSE- The daughter of legendary team STRQ members Tai-Yang Xiao Long and Summer Rose, Ruby sought the warrior's life from a young age after hearing stories of grandeur and the importance of heroes in Remnant's history. After attending Signal, a precursor combat school, and constructing her Scythe Sniper Rifle; Crescent Rose, Ruby was pushed up two years to attend Beacon Academy after encountering Professor Ozpin. She was the leader of team RWBY. Since the fall of Beacon after the White Fang and Grimm assaulted the facility, Ruby now aims for Haven to track down those responsible, before they can enact the same terror on Haven Academy.

NORA VALKYRIE- Eccentric warrior and faithful companion to Ren, Nora Valkyrie is a heavy hitting huntress in training who attended Beacon academy as a part of team JNPR. After the fall of Beacon, Nora joined the remainder of her team and Ruby Rose in her mission to travel to Haven academy and bring those responsible for the fall of beacon to justice.

JAUNE ARC- With a family legacy of heroes, Jaune sought the life of heroics from a young age and even forged documents to attend beacon academy, though severely lacking in skill. With the aid of comrade Pyrrha Nikos, the leader of team JNPR developed leadership and combat skills during his tenure. After the death of Pyrrha, Jaune joined RNJR in a bid to locate those responsible.

LIE REN- The calm and collected warrior Lie Ren has spent a better part of his life with Nora Valkyrie after his village was destroyed by a powerful creature of Grimm. Together they made their way to Beacon in order to become a Huntsman and Huntress

HUNTER LOCKWOOD- Hunter is a man stricken with tragedy, but pushed by duty. Much like Jack his hate for the White Fang is his guiding principle. He will do whatever it takes to see their movement burn. Once a member of a large and productive community, everything Hunter knew was swept out from under him. Hunter is a stalker, he lurks in the shadows and his coyote-like traits make him an excellent huntsman. Now, he works with the strangers from a mysterious land to enact revenge on those who took everything from him. But they won't always see eye to eye.

HOSTILES

LIEUTENANT FENRIR VILKAS- A ruthless and savage White Fang warrior, not much is known about the past of Fenrir, other than that his grandparents were great war veterans and his parents were White Fang members killed in a riot. The warrior shows no mercy against human threats and now directs his rage at the strangers, particularly one individual who managed to deplete his aura.

CAPTAIN ACCALIA VILKAS- The older sister of Fenrir, Accalia is a lethal warrior, trained to fight and kill from a young age. However, unlike her brasher younger brother, Accalia is a brilliant tactician who opts to use her mind rather than her weapons but will occasionally join in the fray to keep her skills sharp.

COMMANDER ADAM TAURUS- Legendary/Infamous Faunus revolutionary Adam Taurus is the Commander of the White Fang cell operating in Vale, answering only to Sienna Khan herself, and even then, usually operates on his own terms while in seclusion from the other cells. It was under Taurus' leadership that the Cell aided Cinder Fall and her Chaos Syndicate in besieging Beacon and the surrounding city to assassinate Professor Ozpin and the Former Spring Maiden. - *NEW*

NON-COMBATANTS

DOCTOR BRIAN GROVE- Doctor Grove was a scientist aboard the HMCS Endeavour upon the first discovery of the Remnant Anomaly. He and members of his team were sent beyond the threshold to study what lied beyond. Upon their arrival, they were attacked by the Grimm and Grove was the sole survivor and was rescued weeks later by Private Carver and Master Corporal Farren.

ALEX CARVER-Younger brother to Private Jack Carver, Alex was born when the Carver family was still living on a military base. By the time Alex was old enough to go to school, he developed cancer in his body and his father retired from the Military as a result, and Jack began his aspirations to serve. To emulate his father and his older brother, Alex dreams of becoming a soldier just like his brother.

MAJOR (RETIRED) DESMOND CARVER- The father of Private Jack Carver, Desmond Carver was a soldier in Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry for decades, obtaining legendary status for his many tours and heroics. Much of the man's service record is blacklisted, placing a shroud of confusion around the soldier, all that is known is that he was a Jump Qualified combat soldier for a long time before becoming a Major.

CATHERINE CARVER- Spouse of legendary soldier Desmond Carver and Mother of aspiring legend Jack Carver, Catherine is used to the military lifestyle after moving between posts for years before the birth of the couples first son, Jack.

PRIVATE (KIA) DAVID FARREN- Private Farren was the son of Master Corporal George Farren and was killed in Afghanistan during Operation Medusa. The young soldier was in a different company than his father to avoid conflict of interest but was killed nonetheless by Taliban RPG fire.

MISC:

DANGER CLOSE- A warning to ground forces that an attack from artillery or air units may be dangerously close to their position. Within 500m of the unit in question.

BMQ- Basic Military Qualification that ALL Canadian Forces members (Regardless of trade they chose) must go through prior to trade training (An Infantry soldier must do BMQ before going on his/her Infantry course)

OPERATION OVERLORD- The Allied assault on Normandy on June 6th, 1944 during the Second World War. Regarded as the largest amphibious assault in human history.

AAR- After Action Report

CCP- Casualty Collection Point

CCT- The Cross Continental Transmit System is used for near instantaneous communications between all the major kingdoms.

FOB- Forward Operating Base

CONCERTINA WIRE- Coils of barbed wire

ACK- Acknowledged

ROG- Roger

TRIAGE- Triage is the process of determining the priority of patient treatments based on the severity of their condition. This rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately.

VSA- Vital Signs Absent. Reported when an individual has no pulse.

HE- High Explosive round capable of intense damage.

IMP- Individual Meal Pack - A ration pack containing heatable food, snacks, and beverages for a single soldier

REVEILLE- A signal to arise. Often meaning the wake-up call or signal to get up.

SOP- Short for Standard Operating Procedure. A predetermined method of dealing with specific scenarios.

POG- Short for Personnel/Persons Other than Grunt, a term generally used in a demeaning manner for members who are not in the Infantry.

TRACKING- Slang for "Acknowledged" or "Understood". Just a way of confirming one's understanding.