Atlas Navy Vytal Island forward operations base, Present Day, One Year after Ruby Rose entered Beacon Academy.

The Sky always looked different.

He couldn't really tell why that was, considering how widely traveled him and his fleets were, all he had seen, and everything he'd experienced in his years in the Navy.

To Major Eisen Heydrich, Commander of the Atlesian Northern Fleet and Captain of the Fleet Flagship Emperor Maxim, The sky from Vytal always looked…different.

Maybe it was the air itself, cooler as they headed north, causing some effect on the visual spectrum. Maybe it was the clouds, or the altitude of the base, changing how far one could see.

Or maybe it was the ghosts of the people of Vytal, sacrificed in an act of defiance to Vale and Mantle during the Great War, who still lingered, hiding in the fog below the mountaintop base, where the crumbling spires of the old city could still be seen poking out of the mist like the skeletal fingers of the dead.

He supposed it was irrelevant, as he sipped a cup of strong Mistralian tea, the gentle notes of a Valian concerto echoing from a music player on his desk as he stared out the vast window at the horizon beyond. For all he knew, it could just be something only he could see.

He shrugged, his silver hair unmussed. He'd been accused of stranger behaviors in his life.

He listened with half an ear to the other source of sound in the room, a live broadcast of the Vytal festival, where Pyrrha Nikos, champion of Sanctum and rising star of Beacon, was facing off with one of his own, Penny Polendina of Atlas. The Redheads had simultaneously dominated their respective challenges during the tournament, and from what he'd seen so far, the two were evenly matched.

Heydrich mused, turning his gaze back to the screen, thinking about the fight as the two sparred across the floor of Amity Coliseum. He was one of the few privy to the truth about Polendina's existence: indeed, he'd been part of the Android's engineering team, and a succession of prototypes before it. Before his inglorious exile…

All at once, the fight seemed to reach its climax, as Nikos, disarmed, seemed too dumbfounded to react as Polendina reared back her collection of wire-guided swords to strike a final blow. With a gesture, the swords flew….

And then something happened.

Nikos all at once gained a look of determination, and swung her arms out wide. To the naked eye, it seemed a futile gesture. But to those in the know…

Heydrich observed as, as though propelled by an invisible wave, Penny's swords arced back towards their wielder, propelled by Pyrrha's semblance. Too hard, too fast.
Caught by surprise, Penny could not react fast enough to dodge the sudden counterattack.

Heydrich watched, impassive, as the very wires Penny used to control her weapons suddenly became the instruments of her destruction, tearing through her torso, her arm, and her waist. He could almost make out the expression of shock on her face as her parts flew free of each other.
"Sloppy." He mused, near-silent, as the pieces collapsed to the floor of the arena, a collective cry of horror rising from the audience. Nikos was frozen stock-still, her face a mask of shock, her emerald eyes discernible even with the distance from the camera.

The Image seemed frozen, focused on the two combatants, and Heydrich idly mused about why the image didn't cut away-and then, a smooth, female voice echoed in his ears, as the image of Nikos and the fallen Polendina was overlaid with a stark red background, with a black Chess Queen at the center.

"This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are in reality nothing more than men. Our academies' headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both."

The Atlesian officer sat, silent and still, as he listened. His thoughts briefly flickered to Ironwood, his immediate superior and longtime rival, who was presently at the festival. A mild smirk crossed his lips: Ironwood was going to have a HELL of a time explaining this…

"They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First, a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither."

Heydrich brought his teacup back to his lips, his smirk slipping away, his expression as impassive as before, as the woman continued.

"Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong, but I know that the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is equally undesirable"
.
"Our kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So, I ask you, when the first shots are fired, who do you think you can trust?"

Heydrich placed his teacup down, as the woman's words died away and the red screen and Chess Piece vanished, returning to the original image. Reaching over and pressing a button on his desk, the screen went black, the image of Pyrrha Nikos still staring at Penny's fallen form briefly remaining in his eyes. He remained, staring into the black screen, pondering a dim reflection of his own aged face. the Music had simultaneously died away, leaving the vast office devoid of any sound.

The only move Heydrich made was the slightest tightening of a fist.

A rapping at the door of his office drew his attention, and he turned away from the black screen, his expression serious.
"Enter."

The door slid open, and a younger man in a Captain's uniform, black hair shining in the overhead lights, a pencil moustache of the same hue above lips pressed together in determination, strode in, marching towards Heydrich's desk, a large administrative scroll tucked under his arm. Coming to attention before his superior, the officer Saluted sharply.
"What is it, Captain Butler?" Heydrich said congenially to his adjutant as he returned the salute. Lowering his arm, the Captain stepped into a more relaxed position.
"Major Heydrich, Sir!" he said crisply, as he offered the Scroll to his commander, "We have a message from General Ironwood, Sir. He is requesting immediate reinforcement as per Operations Plan Six."
"hmm. Is he, now?" Heydrich replied, reaching out a hand for the proffered device and, once he'd opened the screen and input his security code, began reading over the message. Like most of Ironwood's messages to him, it was short and to the point:

To Major Heydrich, Commander, Northern Fleet Operations, Vytal defense base

Deploy Battlegroup Maxim to reinforce Vytal Escort Fleet Immediately, situation critical, large scale Grimm assault imminent, Vale in mortal danger. Roster vessels as per Operations Plan Six, Under Vale Plan 4, Article 2.
Deploy IMMEDIATELY upon message receipt, repeat, IMMEDIATELY, repeat, Situation Critical.

Ironwood.

Heydrich mused over the orders, recalling the details of the plan: he had been instrumental in its organization, and knew the logistics and structure precisely, as was only correct, as it primarily concerned his fleet. He turned back to Captain Butler, who had remained silent as Heydrich had read the message.
"Well, Sterling, It would seem General Ironwood has gotten himself into a bit of a mess, hasn't he?"
The younger man smirked: the long-time enmity between Heydrich and Ironwood was an open secret among the base personnel….of course, that dislike of Atlas Academy's headmaster was shared by many of the personnel at the Base, which was why most of them were here in the first place.
"Ah, well, Duty calls. I suppose we'd better go rescue the General." Heydrich stated, rising from his desk and pulling his uniform coat from its place draped over the back of it.
"Shall we rally the troops, then, Captain Butler?"

"Already done, sir." Butler replied, his smirk fading as his silver eyes flashed. He stood waiting as his commander turned back towards the view outside.

Heydrich's own eyes, the same hue, took one last look at the sky outside his office window, now lit orange and purple in the evening twilight. In the far distance, avian forms that might have been birds or a distant Nevermore wheeled on the currents rising from the sea far below, likely coming in to nest in the ruins of the city.

He'd specifically designed the base's command center so that his personal office and quarters, stark white and the size of a small apartment, faced south. Officially, it was so he could observe the horizon for any long-distance approach. Unofficially, it was so the architecture of the base would not spoil his view of the distant sky.

It still looked…different, to his silver gaze, even as, buttoning his coat, he turned and followed his subordinate out of his office, and the rumble of vast battleship engines began to echo through the corridors of the base.

[=]

(AN)

Okay, here it is. the first part of my "Mother Maiden" RWBY AU Universe. Those of you who have followed my Deviantart will know hoe far and wide this story goes. if you don't follow my DA...well, same username as here, go check it out!

This first part, "Aftermath" will cover the first year or so After the Fall of Beacon.