Chương 1968: 198
Chapter Text
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. As much as I don't think General Ironwood really has the best interests of his people at heart anymore, the people of Mantle are hurting and Penny's been receiving messages from her dad updating her on the situation- it's bad. There's not enough food and the systems are falling apart, the walls keep failing faster than they can enact repairs, and the repaired sections are too thin to keep out anything bigger than a few Sabyrs. Add on to the fact that there's a Megoliath migration coming in…" Ruby shook her head, standing resolute before both Qrow and Glynda, deadly serious as she folded her hands behind her back in a display of professionalism that she previously had been unable to show. The fact that her outfit had changed again made her seem more grown up and ready for her position, despite the fact that she had already proven herself to be more than a capable leader by midway through their first year. "They need help. And we're ready."
"More than ready…" Qrow nodded, looking at each of them in turn. "Fine. I hate it, but I guess you do need more mission experience under your belts. Glyn?"
"Please don't call me that when we're supposed to be working," Glynda sighed, adjusting her glasses and frowning as she shook her head. "Regardless- your destination is set. Team RWBYP will be reinforcing Atlesian Huntsmen in the city of Mantle, and will remain there until such a time as recalled back, or the semester ends."
She paused, tapping away at her pad and pursing her lips. "You'll be working directly under the Ace Ops commanded by Clover Ebi, and with special detachment from Specialist Winter Schnee. Additionally, you'll be provided bunks, schedules, and classes to attend between mission deployments, as well as a food budget and special dispensation to move through medium to high security areas depending on necessity. You will not need to wear Atlesian Academy uniforms, though you may if you wish, but I do ask that you wear your Beacon uniforms while attending classes. Atlas Academy classes also tend towards a focus on structured, armed combat and military tactics, which may help enhance the effectiveness of your team combinations."
"Additionally, you'll be receiving additional help from Team CMNE, who have also decided to go to Atlas," Oscar spoke up, bearing the mantle of Ozpin as he sat there in a suit that was somewhat reminiscent of the former Headmaster's, but was also clearly a reversible jacket such that the black outside could be turned inside out so as to reveal the more friendly green interior lining within. A compromise between the two souls.
Oscar had bought it solely because he thought it looked cool.
Ozpin had agreed that it did, indeed, look really cool.
"That's good- friendly faces, plus backup in case things go wrong," Ruby nodded towards Oscar- or rather, Ozpin- and giving him the due respect she'd shown him when he'd still been her headmaster. "Is there anything else we need to know right now?"
"No, not really. Not in any official capacity," Qrow shook his head whilst sitting behind the lone desk in the room, intertwining his fingers together as he pursed his lips and stared dead ahead at his niece. "Unofficially… keep an eye on things. Listen to the people. Jimmy's starting to go off the rails and Mantle is suffering to the point that even if his insane plan works they're not going to be able to recover- not with the lack of resources, the deaths, the grimm attacks, the civil unrest. If Atlas flies off into the sky like what Winter told us, Mantle is fucked too. Atlas will die a slow, painful death, and Mantle might crash instantly because of the grimm it'll draw in. It's a tossup for whether or not that'll happen… but, again. Keep an eye on things. Shit's been getting fucked lately and we really, really need to figure out where Salem's attacking next. Atlas is just the most vulnerable target now that Vale's at full capacity and Mistral has rallied together."
"Will do, Uncle Qrow. Right guys?" Ruby asked, turning to face her team, who were all arrayed behind her and standing there whilst letting her speak. "Penny? Yang? Blake? Weiss? Any thoughts?"
"Nothing comes to mind… well, I mean, other than the fact that we're heading to Atlas , despite the fact that we spent a whole lot of time trying to make sure Weiss never had to face her shitty dad ever again," Yang mentioned, crossing her arms. "I mean… as long as we don't run into the bastard or his goons or anyone else who'd try to bring Weiss back to that house…"
"I'm going to be honest, I know it's illegal but I almost do hope that my father comes to try and drag me back, if only so I can punch him straight in the face," Weiss sighed, groaning a bit and shaking her head. "I've been practicing unarmed combat for a while just for that."
"... Eh, with probably cause and enough evidence in your favor, it's entirely legal for a Huntsman. Even a Huntsman in training," Qrow snorted out a laugh, entirely in favor of encouraging Weiss to go ape shitt with her emotions concerning her father. Fuck Jacques Schnee. Bastard that he was. "Eh, more or less."
"The only problem is that he'll use his position to hide any evidence, so having him be the crux of something that exposes just how illegal and amoral he is would be better…" Weiss continued on, musing to herself and going entirely off topic as she tried to plan out the perfect murder of her father right there in an office with Beacon's interim Headmaster, the ghost of the former Headmaster, and the woman who should actually be Headmaster all standing before her.
"... Miss Schnee, please plan the murder of your piece of shit father somewhere we can't hear, if only so that we have plausible deniability," Glynda deadpanned, then continued on. "Miss Belladonna? Miss Polendina? Any concerns?"
"Nothing other than what's been brought up," Blake shook her head and shrugged, stepping a bit closer to Weiss to wrap a gentle arm around the former heiress' waist. "And as long as Weiss doesn't have a reason to murder her father then it's fine. Penny?"
"As long as General Ironwood does not try to force me back into the military with coercion or threats, I will be fine," Penny answered, stepping forward and squeezing Ruby's hand gently with her own. "I have made it clear to him that I wish to be my own person and not tied to the military, and while he has been receptive to that before, I do not know if he will still agree now."
"Noted. I'll make sure to pass along those terms in the mission charter," Glynda nodded, then set the pad outside and gave each of them a steady, appraising look in turn. "Team RWBYP. You have the distinction of being one of, if not the single most capable and powerful teams of Huntresses Beacon has ever had the pleasure of teaching. But even the strongest Huntsmen and Huntresses are still human. Please, be careful, be safe, and remember the lessons that have been taught to you here."
"... How to turn a Beowolf into chunky salsa using a pit and a log trap?" Yang muttered, raising an eyebrow as she thought about Professor Port.
"Don't trust politicians or CEOs?" Blake added, also confused at what Glynda was saying whilst thinking about Professor Oobleck.
"Kill it with fire?" Weiss shrugged whilst thinking about Professor Peach's… surprisingly aggressive stance towards grimm.
"... Walls are good but overwhelming firepower is better?" Penny suggested, recalling Professor Mulberry's words when she and Ruby had walked into his third year class only for him to immediately and visibly mark both her and Ruby's end of year scores as perfect 100s right then and there.
"... Fuck it we ball?" Ruby finished, thinking back to the weirdest lesson she'd ever learned at Beacon, courtesy of the… eccentric… Professor Vega.
"... No. Just… Nevermind. The lesson is that you serve the people first, and that you need to do what you must in order to let not only yourself but those you protect survive and live." Glynda deadpanned.
"Ohhhh… yeah that makes a lot more sense…" Ruby muttered in perfect chorus with the rest of her team.
"Quite. Now- all of you are dismissed. You'll receive all the documentation you need via email later today, as well as a list of things to bring and a list of things that aren't allowed either on the flight over or in the military base. Run along," Glynda finished, motioning them out of the room. "Goodbye for now, Team RWBYP. And…"
As the elevator doors began to close on the five girls, separating them from view ever so slowly, Glynda nodded at them and received nods in return- all of them knowing how serious this moment was.
"Good luck. You'll need it."
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