"We are going to have peace, even if we have to fight for it." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Within a few hours, the allies rallied whatever able bodied soldiers still able to fight and were preparing to head out to Athena. Testudo tanks, weapons and ammunition were recovered, a plethora of supplies were found near the rubble and on the bodies of the fallen. Nothing was wasted; whatever was still operable had been recovered and prepped. The wounded were moved to a more stable portion of the base, though; it took more time than expected. Nonetheless, once all hands were aboard the Arbiter's Requiem, the preparation for the next battle could begin. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and anyone else whose injuries would deter them were left behind; their time on the battlefield was over for now. Ironwood's personal forces managed to recover and repair a transporter, within a few hours he would reach the forces in Vale and assemble a new fleet. He would remain stationed there until the Dreadnoughts were spotted, if so, then the Arbiter's Requiem would request whatever forces available from Athena and make their way to Vale. With the additional forces from Atlas, the added firepower would give them a slight advantage. If, however, those ships arrived in Athena, then Atlesian reinforcements would take longer. Perhaps, long enough that by the time they arrived, the city would already be overrun.

Ozpin went with Ironwood; if his city was going to be attacked then he wanted to be there to defend it. JNPR and CVFY were assigned aboard the Arbiter's Requiem to be the first boots on the ground. Yang, having her team staying in Ana's Fjord, stuck with Emerald. Not willingly, but for the hope of keeping an eye on the minty-haired girl and Jaune. Winter stayed with her sister until it was time to head out, Tsar sat nearby, the two of them spoke of memories and jokes only sisters could relate to. While he didn't speak, his presence was still meaningful for the young heiress. Weiss was still accepting the fact that she had a prosthetic foot. She took it well, but once the comms called for all hands, they bid the small one farewell and began to leave. Weiss's hand managed to catch Tsar's just as he turned to leave and Winter had reached the door, stopping only when she saw her sister grab on to her mentor. The large Kaidon turned to the small one who had her head slightly lowered.

"Please...stay alive...both of you." Her tone was whisper-like, but it was heard nonetheless.

To promise anything would be dangerous, regardless of the outcome of the war. Tsar clasped the small palm of his student with a stern expression. "We will return." His words gave the heiress a small sense of comfort, though once he and Winter exited the room, she called him out, quietly.

"It isn't wise to promise her something like that." She argued.

To which, Tsar's response was blunt but with truth. "We will return. Whether to celebrate or be buried is still to be seen." While she couldn't argue with that logic, she still believed it best not to leave her sister with so much hope. The two went on to board the ship as the last piece of cargo was mounted. The doors to the hangers closed as the ship began making headway to Athena. Those aboard prepared themselves for what would probably be their last stand against Cinder Fall's faction.

Aboard the Arbiter's Requiem, Han stood on the bridge as lights from Athena shone in the distance. This ship was a design her people created in the hopes of surviving the coming trials, and yet she couldn't feel a sense of security, rather a foreshadowing thought that this rapid advancement would only further the end of her people. With her were Tsar and Winter, each awaiting with hopes that the city wasn't in Cinder's hands already. Once the ship was within sight of the city's patrols, the flak guns by the city's outer district had begun taking aim. The alarms within the ship gave the crew enough time to stop the ship before coming into range.

"Why are we stopping?" Winter asked. The sudden stop gave all aboard a sense of alarm as momentary alarms blared for a few seconds. The crew aboard, including the hunters and huntresses of beacon readied themselves for the call to arms. Emerald, on the other hand, walked calmly towards the bridge.

"The city's defenses are aimed at us. We're currently out of range, but our hull is in no shape to take flak yet." Han pointed out.

Winter watched from the observation deck as the guns were still being prepped, lucky for them; they must've caught Athena off guard.

"Ma'am, incoming transmission from the human city, audio only." One of officers reported.

Winter attempted to lend the Kaidons a hand. "Ma'am, allow me to negotiate with the Athenians." She asked, to which Han simply nodded and gestured her officer to patch the call through. Winter approached the holopad and regained her composure. This was not the first time she had to act as a negotiator, though she found herself somewhat uneasy when the fate of the whole ship was on how she handled the situation. More so if she was still stationed here.

"This is the Arbiter's Requiem, I am Winter Schnee of the Atlesian Defence force, to whoever it is I am speaking; I request that you allow our ship to enter Athenian airspace. We have information on an inbound White Fang threat to your city and-"

"Sod off!" Came an annoyed and vaguely familiar tone that made the older heiress cringe. She dealt with this woman before, none of their interactions, however, were pleasant.

"Whatever terrorists come our way, we don't need the help of Atlesians, especially a Schnee. Either way, the ports are occupied, there's no more space for airships. So, with whatever form of kindness my words could have: leave or we'll blow your ship to bits."

It would seem the first attempt to speak with the leaders of Athena went just about as Han expected, though she didn't expect the tone used by the other human on the line. Regardless, Winter continued pressing. "Joan Arc, I respectfully ask that you allow us through, you know not the arsenal the White Fang has in its possession. We have Intel on the machines, and we believe them to be on their way here." Winter argued, hoping the woman on the other end would see past their bitter rivalry.

"And I will say again, we have no room for ships, Athena can only hold so many ships in her airspace before the populace becomes uneasy. I'll only say this once more; leave."

"Damn it, Joan, now isn't the time for childish bitterness. If you don't allow us to help you will lose your entire city!" Winter finished by slamming her palms against the terminal. Now was the time she realized that wording was important, and the woman on the other side perceived those last words as a threat. She could've easily told the woman of the Dreadnoughts, but giving away such information would only increase unnecessary fear and panic.

From the ground, the flak guns were now online and ready to fire. Before Winter could try once more, she was gently pushed aside as Emerald made her way to the terminal and calmly spoke to the woman on the other end.

"Athena, my name is Emerald Sustrai, I respectfully ask for your assistance against the White Fang. The enemy has stolen Atlesian equipment with an arsenal capable of leveling your defenses with relative ease; we merely wish to give you the means to win. However, our ship is damaged and will not last long in combat, we request permission to dock." The line stayed quiet for a few seconds until Emerald tried one last attempt. "Please, Joan."

From below, the flak guns remained motionless for five minutes before eventually lowering. A response came from Athena, though not the same voice as before. "Arbiter's Requiem, you have clearance for docking bay three, proceed with caution."

"So much for 'no more space'." The older Schnee muttered while crossing her arms.

"...I heard that, Arbiter's Requiem."

"Noted." Winter responded, she turned the line off and turned to face Emerald, whom was already leaving the bridge with haste. This was the first in a long time she was to see an old face, and after what occurred these past few days, no doubt the wounds Jaune had would be blamed on her. The friends she grew with would come to see her as a threat for placing their brother in danger, that was all Emerald could think of when she heard Winter utter Jaune's older sister's name.

As the oddly shaped vessel cruised with ease over the city, many reporters were already on the ground at the ports. After the sudden moving of the Vytal Festival to Athena, many questions began bombarding the government and military officials. There was more confusion than fear, though the cameras did deter Han from allowing any of her kin to exit the ship. Though, as the temporary Grand Kaidon, she needed to meet with the leaders of Athena in the hopes of organizing a defense force against the White Fang. In regards to the current events, a small division of heavily armed Kaidon was prepared to escort their leader. Three dropships descended from the vessel, at the port was a tall woman, dressed in a gold and crimson military blazer with the Kingdom of Vale's emblem etched on her shoulder. Her dark ocean eyes and long blonde hair were a dead giveaway as to who she was. She cringed as the ships landed, and the first to exit was Winter Schnee. From afar, the reporters had their cameras focused on the Schnee heiress.

The tension between the two women could be felt, even from the nearby platforms.

"Arc." Winter tried her best to be calm and courteous.

"Schnee." Though, the venom dripping from the eldest Arc child was ticking her off more than the other drunken associate she has to deal with. Thankfully, it would appear this one wasn't drunk, yet.

Luckily, before any escalation could occur, Emerald and the huntresses from beacon made their appearance. The woman's expression shifted almost instantly, though it changed just as quickly when she remembered what the kingdom branded the minty-haired child. Emerald walked calmly up to the blonde woman, smaller in height, clearly intimidated by her gaze, but unyielding.

"Jo...Commander Arc, thank you for allowing us entrance." Emerald held her hand for a formal greeting, though Joan gently shoved her hand away and embraced her friend. It caught those on the platform off guard, except for the blonde knight of JNPR.

"It's great to see you again, Emmy."

The short girl returned the embrace, though the reunion was short lived as the Kaidon marched off the last transport, Tsar leading the small division of fully masked, heavily armed soldiers. Their appearance and anatomy shocked the crowds staring from the streets. These soldiers weren't Faunus, and obviously not human. So rang the question; what were they? Once a few feet away from the small group, the soldiers shifted aside, allowing Han to walk past them. She was clothed normally, no armor or visible weapons, but her appearance did catch the attention of many onlookers. To make matters all the more complicated, the cameras were still rolling, giving the world a live feed of the unknown race that closely resembled the Grimm. This was done willingly; Han understood what needed to be done for this alliance to work, and for her people to be seen on a positive light for their reveal to the world. At the moment, there was more shock and a growing fear than anything.

To say Joan was shocked would be an understatement, she knew the ship wasn't an Atlesian class vessel, but she didn't expect this. The small group stood in total silence, that is, until Han decided to progress the situation.

"Arc, is it?" She asked, calmly.

Joan instinctively jumped, and nodded.

"May we move this along to a more secluded location, time is of the essence." She reminded of the possible invasion that would arrive at the feet of Athena. Joan nodded again, and gestured them to a column of vehicles ready to take them to the council hall.

Once at the council hall at the center of the city, the small division of soldiers were left to guard the perimeter of the building, leaving the people to wonder what exactly was happening; an occupation? Annexation? Invasion? And if so, by who, or what, to be correct? Joan stood with two Athenian soldiers, shadowed by Han and her collection of guards and allies. During their ride to the council hall, it was made aware that the original council saw the sudden change in locations for the Vytal Festival and expected the worst, fleeing without notice. This act, however, left Joan Arc, the commander of the Athenian forces with complete control of the city and its defenses. Once she was well informed of the approaching danger, the color from her face drained as she pictured the two Dreadnoughts over her city, leaving nothing but fire and ruins in their wake. While she wasn't so easily swayed to work with Winter, she was more than willing to assist Emerald. Though, she was unsure of how to feel about the Kaidons. She was glad to see her brother again, but the added scars she could see on his exposed skin would have to be later questioned, thoroughly. All the while, this alliance with the Kaidon did give her a sense of relief in way. With her forces stretched thin as it is, and the council taking much of the elite task force in their escape. Joan remembered vaguely studying the Kaidons, though not much was recorded and they were secluded to a single location so it meant no encounters or problems from these beasts. Now, however, this scenario went against all that was taught to the young by the old.

"Now then, how should I relay this to the people? The threat of an invasion is bad enough given that we lack enough ships to evacuate the civilians in time." Joan mumbled, "Not to mention, your...Kaidon friends here might make the people feel uneasy if I do not tell them of the need for their presence here. The added fear might give us both the Grimm and White Fang to deal with."

"I'm afraid if the Dreadnoughts truly have the Vytal festival in sight, then we WILL have the Grimm and White Fang." Emerald retrieved her scroll and handed it to Joan, the young girl's tone and expression gave the eldest Arc an uneasy feeling. She took the scroll, upon opening it; the holographic screen immediately displayed decrypted documents. As she read the reports, Emerald summarized what Cinder Falls had in her possession, and the terror she would bring to Athena's doorstep.

"Adding the Dreadnoughts, Cinder has in her possession...I suppose an easier way to describe it is; a bomb. But, its blast radius isn't what makes this the main threat; it's what is inside the device that will engulf the city in flames, in a literal sense. The bomb creates a fire that can't be easily put out, water barely contains it, and it spreads quickly. Given the size of the city, the fire will burn everything and anything within an hour, two at most."

"Why would a military create a weapon they cannot control?" Han directed her question to Winter, but the Schnee was left in the dark for this project. She didn't know of its existence until now, and even then, she wondered the exact same thing, given her father was the one who personally supervised any and all development projects.

"This was to be used on lands with massive Grimm populations, as well as enemies to any group in possession of the weapon." Emerald pointed out. "But the question isn't; why was it created. Rather, what does Cinder gain from using it?"

"We can worry about that later, for now, I'm going to have as many of my people evacuated from the city." Joan turned her headset's channel to a wide stream line. "Attention, any able bodied persons ready and willing to fight are to be armed within an hour. All civilians are to be evacuated or relocated to fallout shelters, immediately. That means; EVERY district." Before awaiting a response, Joan removed her headset and turned to Han. "I'm still not sure about you, nor do I feel that I can entrust my city to your army, but if what you say is true, then I'm willing to fight with your army. And I swear to you, no soldier under my command will forsake someone who has come to their aid." Her words were more than enough to put the small army of Kaidon at ease, knowing the humans they would be fighting with wouldn't suddenly turn their backs on them after the White Fang was dealt with. Though, what gave Han a sense of hope was the manner in which Joan described her; someone, not something. Like her younger brother, Joan wasn't discriminatory, but her trust wasn't easily won by simple kind gestures. For this Arc, friendship, and alliances were earned by shedding blood and sweat alongside one another, whether in combat or otherwise. Once the order was spread to gather soldiers for an incoming battle, the people began demanding answers, especially for the newcomers that were currently acting as guards for their airship, and the council hall. The media covered this little piece of news extremely close, children actually attempted to get a closer look at these newcomers. None got too close as their parents would instinctively grab hold of them and keep them from approaching these unknowns. Word was sent to any and all nearby cities for additional aid, those that responded promised little, but it was better than those who rejected the request. After seeing the Kaidon on global news, they believed the city to be captured, and the supplies would fall into the hands of hostiles. As of now, news of the Dreadnoughts was still kept from the public, making the situation all the more worse with the people of Athena believing their city to be occupied by unknowns. Not that they weren't worried for a reason, Athena wasn't exactly well known for a fair government. The old council stationed here obtained their positions through corrupt dealings, shady business partners, and a deathly grip on the city's economy. To see them gone was a near blessing, but if these new leaders were mere replacements, worse than the last, no doubt a revolt would soon follow. The first line into the city was the slums; rundown, dirty, and filled to the brim with hatred towards the council. Next was the market section, districts with turns and corners that could equal an entrapping maze if not familiar with the layout. Lastly, the inner district, homes and buildings for the privileged, a typical human society as Tsar would gruffly put it. While his mother and Joan negotiated the terms of their temporary alliance, the first Zealot decided to scout the city, familiarizing himself with the layout of the soon-to-be battlefield in the hopes of setting traps and barricades to hold off the Grimm and White Fang. Perhaps the antiaircraft guns could hold the Dreadnoughts back for a short while, but for how long? With him on his scouting mission was Winter, taking it upon herself to better acquaint herself with Weiss's new teacher. With his helmet off, the Kaidon drew much attention to himself as he walked the slums of Athena. Many of the populace followed silently from a distance, others kept themselves as far away as possibe. The streets were littered with trash, the air was thick andfoul, and many on the streets were dirtied, even more were deathly afraid of Tsar. There was a great mixture of Faunus and humans, but in the inner district, the large Kaidon failed to see such a diverse crowd. Buildings here were either boarded up, or falling apart. As many departed from the Kaidon's path, one did not, an old man in rags, his lips cracked, a foul odor emitted from his bony body. He was not dead, but his eyes were devoid of life, caring little if the creature stomped on him, as his body had little to energy to resist abuse anymore. The large Kaidon noticed a small bowl next to the old man; it contained a liquid of greenish/yellow color. The hands of the old man reached for the container, his body staggered as he attempted to drink the liquid. Firmly, Tsar caught hold of the old man's hand and removed the small container from his possession. The Kaidon reached for a container from his belt and gave the old man fresh water. The sweet taste of clean water gave the old man a reason to shed a joyful tear. He drank slowly, as to not drink to hastily and spill the liquid.

"Th...ank...you..." Came a raspy, weak, but clear voice. Such kindness from anyone outside the slums was a rarity, to see Tsar, an outsider, give sympathy to a random person for no apparent reason raise a small, temporary sense of trust. The sudden gathering of people worried the Kaidon, especially since they were on the front lines of the incoming threat.

"Why are you all still here? An evacuation has been ordered." The Kaidon asked, though, left in the silence for a few seconds before a young man approached from the crowd. His hesitation to talk to the large unknown showed some form of discomfort, but a willingness to communicate.

"No one told us anything."

Another approached from the crowd. "This is the slums; our lives aren't worth anything to the higher-ups." Tsar glanced to the abandoned people of this section of Athena. If the AA guns fail, and in all honesty, when they're destroyed, this district will be a war-zone, and these people are going to be in the fray. Tsar pressed on his earpiece and turned his attention to his ship.

"Arbiter's Requiem, send soldiers and cargo ships to my location, we have civilians to evacuate and a position to hold." While his intentions were for a good cause, there was no way Cinder would just wait for the city to be evacuated. Knowing her, she'd probably have her guns target the civilian ships. They were on a time limit.

"Tsar..." The large Kaidon turned to the older heiress. "We might not be able to get everyone out in time. And it doesn't look like anyone will rally to our cause; this isn't a life they'd be willing to die for."

"So then tell me, what should we do? Would you have me abandon them without trying?" While Winter could understand what this soldier wanted to do, as much as she agreed and wanted to save these lives, the truth of the matter is; they're out of time.

Before his question could be responded to, the city's siren began blaring, sending the civilians in the inner district into a mass panic and confusion while the speakers were urging them to head to the nearest fallout shelter or evac ships. The group within the council hall ran outside, only to be greeted with the site of two Dreadnoughts in the distance making their way, slowly, to Athena.

"All guns, hold your fire until they get close!" Joan shouted through her headset.

"No! Fire now! Don't give them the opportunity to strike first!" Tsar's argued; though his words proved no use as Cinder's ships wasted no time launching a barrage. The missiles struck the first line of guns, wiping out a good portion of them. Those within the slums were beginning to panic as well, the walls were never breached before, but that didn't mean it wasn't possible.

"Arbiter's Requiem, we need those ships now! The enemy is on our doorstep, and we have civilians to evacuate." Winter shouted through her earpiece. While she was technically pessimistic, even she couldn't allow this many people to be counted as collateral, all because her father couldn't keep tabs on his own machinery.

Over a dozen ships descended from Arbiter's minutes after the first barrage hit. The guns were now firing at the Dreadnoughts, though their shots merely kept the ships from advancing past the walls, rather than doing damage to the hull.

As the ships touched down, civilians gathered left and right, all with the hope of escaping the incoming onslaught. Though as the soldiers aboard descended with equipment and supplies, Tsar stood before the large crowd. They would've stampeded over him, had the Kaidon not been intimidating. Though, frightening these people was not what he intended to do, rather, encourage them to stand for a cause.

"This city is under attack, your government has abandoned you, but I stand before you with the opportunity to defend your home, to fight for your freedom, to have your voices and your cause heard, and to rebuild this city. Your officials are gone, which means this city is yours now, will you stay and defend it, or will you run to another slum?" Tsar gestured to the two airships slowly closing in on the city. "Those aboard that vessel will not stop here; they will seek the destruction of any they see fit, whether you chose to die here or elsewhere is of little concern to them. I know no one will trust me, and I'm not asking you to, all I ask is for you is to listen. A human saved my life and has paid a great price to protect my world, so now, I will protect hers. If I die today, I will take as many of those terrorists to the void with me. And you, what will you do? Or perhaps, what is it you would live for?" The Kaidon's words, in Winter's opinion, fell on empty ears. These people and no love for this city, not after the way they were forced to live. Joan did her best to break the social barrier, but even a soldier has limits to their authority and influence. But, like all things, one stood forward. A woman, possibly fifties, with a child in her hands.

"Can you swear that the children will be safe?" She asked the large Kaidon.

"You have my word." Tsar responded.

The woman gave one last glance to the child, gently kissed its forehead, and gave the large Kaidon a stern expression. "Then I will fight for my grandson." Her declaration, slowly, gained traction as people volunteered to fight. It wasn't as much as they had hoped for, but at least there were some willing. From old to young, the new allied army was being filled with Faunus, humans, and Kaidons. Valens, Atlesians, Athenians, and now Seouls would stand together in what could be their first and last battle, unified.

As the airships continued to evacuate people to Arbiter's Requiem, some reinforcements from the ship came along. Hanuk, Glasgow, CVFY, and Okin arrived to join in on the defense. Tsar gave orders to the small army for key positions to hold; Coco walked up to the Kaidon and relayed a message from Joan. "A message from the commander; thank you." With a faint smirk, Coco rejoined her team and took position near a barricade. Anything from cars, to discarded fridges, and makeshift brick walls were used to set up machine guns and boobytrapped in the case that the position was overrun.

Thanks to Ayu, a few modified Ballistas were placed aboard the Arbiter's Requiem for a ground deployment, which was now. These modified versions were antiaircraft guns; very few were made as the original was in a beta stage. Airships placed the Ballistas on roofs, allowing the small army on the ground to have a fighting chance against smaller airships.

From the bridge aboard Oblivion, Cinder watched as the civilians were being evacuated, and a meager force was awaiting her army in the districts. She was thoroughly going to enjoy slaughtering every single person in Athena. True to Winter's suspicions, dropships and gunships from the two Dreadnoughts descended into battle. Those that went after the inner district found meager resistance, but were held off for a brief moment. Their firing was focused more on the civilian ships, successfully taking down two transporters in their initial strafe. Those attacking the outer district found it difficult to navigate with constant flak shooting their ships out of the sky. With their attention focused on the transporters, the pilots could not evade flak after flak from all directions. A few transporters were damaged, but none too severe as they all retreated back to the Arbiter's Requiem. Any White Fang that touched ground had to do so a few blocks away from the defenses, their numbers weren't what they were back in Ana's Fjord, and the Kaidon's managed to rally a good number of people to fight for their home. Cinder bit the lower half of her lip, again she watched as those damned Kaidons continued to interfere with her plans. But, if they were here, then that meant Emerald would be too.

"Have all cannons fire at the city, randomly." Cinder commanded as she continued to observe the war. The countless guns on the Dreadnoughts took aim, and fired indiscriminately into the city. All three districts were hit; the middle district suffered the most damage, while the outer took moderate hits. The allied army was still intact, a bit rattled by the sudden bombardment, but still able to fight.

Athena, observing from the sky, was nearly in ruins. As the allies began to feel comfortable again, Cinder had another rain of fire hit the city, these shots, however, knocked out a few of the Ballistas on the roofs, collapsed several buildings, and scattered the security force in the inner district.

The small allied force lost a majority of their antiaircraft guns, meaning they'd either have to move whatever civilians they could to stable buildings, or hold off the enemy until reinforcements arrived. The evacuation was still in progress, if they failed here, then no doubt all in the path of Cinder Falls would be cut down without a second thought. The increasing ground fire on the barricades began to shake the morale of the allies. Some even looked as if they were ready to drop their weapons and run.

"Stay your positions, hold the line!" Tsar shouted while firing at an approaching squad of White Fang. The large Kaidon managed to keep a good portion of soldiers from turning tail, though, the fear of the White Fang marching over them lingered.

"When will the general arrive?!" Coco asked Winter as her gunfire held the enemy lines back.

"From Vale; within an hour or two!" The older heiress responded as a dust round skimmed past her cheek.

"We might not have that long." The leader of CVFY commented as she noticed the numbers of White Fangs increasing at their position.

For the moment, the inner and outer districts were locked in a battle for dominance, the allies fought to keep the civilians alive and to fend off the terrorists. The White Fang cared only for killing every breathing object in their path, which made their mission all the more easier for them. Realizing the decreasing morale on his side, Tsar handed his rifle to Winter placed his helmet on. He drew his sword and called his fellow Kaidon to his side. The small battalion drew their swords and positioned themselves.

"What're you doing?" Winter shouted as the Kaidon was about to leap into the fray.

"Buying time, use it!" Tsar then signaled his brethren to charge. A single row of Kaidon emerged from the barricades and charged at the White Fang lines with no intention of stopping. The dust rounds barley had any effect on their armor, and tracers ricocheted off the surface. It took precise aim to hit the sections of their body with no armor, but by the time the White Fang realized this, the small battalion broke through their position and engaged the unsuspecting forces in melee combat. Tsar was struck in an exposed portion of his chest and arms, though; it did little to deter him. The Kaidon's needed only to swing effortlessly to cut through these terrorists like butter. Slaughtering a great many of them caused mass confusion and panic. The allied army used this moment to strike, the added firepower and enemy soldiers within their ranks, the White Fang began to retreat towards the walls.

Winter led the group in a slow advance, their objective was to push the enemy back and recover their wounded from the initial charge. This skirmish won the allies a few blocks worth of territory, but the war was far from over. After recovering the wounded Kaidon, the firing stopped, allowing both sides to recover and prepare for another firefight. What few medics available were kept busy as both the inner and outer district suffered losses. Winter tended to Tsar's wounds; given it was a good opportunity for her to learn more of a Kaidon's anatomy, and to scold the large idiot for his actions. Yes it bought them time and forced the enemy to retreat, but the oaf could've been finished if they fired a single grenade at him or his brethren.

While she bandaged his arm, the older heiress muttered under hear breath. "You could've been killed." The first zealot ignored her words as she now tended to his chest wound. He didn't seem to be affected by his wound; the sting from the disinfectants forced a hiss from his mandibles, however. "Should I be cautious, then?" Tsar teased, only to have the woman tighten his bandage. (You are the same as your sister.) He mumbled annoyingly.

"Do not act so hastily, brother." Tsar groaned as Hanuk hovered over him. "She's right; we could've lost you just now." The playful Kaidon placed his hand on Tsar's injured shoulder, unintentionally. (You cannot die here, there is someone waiting for you back home.) His intentional jest was met with an annoyed groan from his old friend. While Hanuk did have a sense of humor, and was merely attempting to ease the tension, his words, if translated to human tongue, would have the older Schnee teasing him as well. One was enough.

The airships evacuating the inner district tried departing for another city, but were shot down if they even attempted to leave Athena's airspace, forcing civilians into the fallout shelters. The losses were mounting, and the flak guns near the wall were reduced to rubble now. Jaune and Emerald sat beside one another, both recovering from watching the transports plummet towards the ground. One lost control and crashed into another in an attempt to safely land. The Arbiter's Requiem managed to keep a safe distance and use its long range guns to keep the Dreadnoughts from advancing. Though, from the look of it, Cinder didn't seem to have any plans to attack the airship. Many in the inner district, after hearing that civilians from the outer district were evacuated and placed into the airship, demanded to be placed aboard the airship as well. If there was any sense of an entitlement mentality, these people showed it greatly. But there was little room left on the Arbiter's Requiem, and even if it departed, there was no way of predicting whether Cinder would engage or not. For now, no one was going anywhere, and all these civilians could do was bicker. Jaune's mind replayed the events of the past twenty minutes over and over in his mind. A soft hand broke his train of thought, glancing towards the minty-haired girl. Her eyes showed no effect of what occurred, but his were empty and filled with pain. He lowered his head, allowing his hair to mask his face. "I can still hear them." His tone was soft, and near the point of breaking. "I can see them, burning, crying, begging for help. All those people..." Emerald empathized with her blonde knight, the faces of those she first killed still linger. "They say..." Jaune turned to his lover, trying to regain his computer after what he witnessed. "They say it gets easier...but I'm not sure if that's a good thing."

"Only the heartless kill without remorse." Emerald argued, hoping to ease his burdens. It helped, for a moment. Jaune returned her gesture, and held her hand tightly. Emerald laid her head against his shoulder, Jaune resting his head atop hers after kissing the top of her head.

"Guys!" Yang called to them, catching both their attention, and Emerald's annoyance. "We can't contact anyone in the outer district."

Within the council hall, Han and Joan were assessing the current situation as JNPR, Yang, and Emerald walked in. Joan gave her holopad to a soldier and gestured him to leave. "We have a problem and time is of the essence so I'm going to make this brief. We can barely keep contact with the forces in the outer district, and we can't contact anyone outside Athena's walls. During Cinder's initial invasion, our scouts captured photos of these." Joan tapped on a holodesk, an image of a bulbous device attached to the belly of a bulkhead appeared on screen. "There were six of these, but only two made it past the Ballistas. Currently, they're on the roofs near the allied defenses. We believe they're jamming our transmissions, and we need you to put them out of commission. I know this is too fast and we just got our first ceasefire after what you had to witness just now, but we can't let Falls get any leverage over us."

Surprisingly, Jaune stood forward. It took all his energy and courage to have his body and mind agree to keep going forward, given the carnage that lay outside. "Just tell me where I need to go."

"Us." Emerald corrected as she stood by his side. Yang lightly punched the blonde knight's shoulder while his team agreed to take the mission as well. "We'll get it done, Joan."

"Good, I'm glad I can count on you. The last I heard, your friends were stationed in between the market district and the walls. I have a ship on standby waiting to take you to their position." Joan walked to her brother and Emerald. "Please bring this dork back to me." She directed her words to the minty-haired girl, receiving a playful grin from the girl. All of which occurred with a small glare emitting from the brawler, even when they boarded the airship. Jaune spent the ride analyzing what little information was taken by the scout team. Forty minutes passed since the Dreadnoughts attacked, and it seemed like Cinder wasn't intent on burning the city to the ground. But, she did have a problem with airships attempting to leave. Pyrrha and Ren continued to try to contact the ground forces, each had no success as they neared the jammers. From the air, the small group could see the effects of the two firestorms Cinder unleashed, thought, something within Jaune gave him the impression that the outer district wasn't any better now than it was beforehand. The stench of gunfire and burning metal filled his nostrils. Like his older sister, Jaune was able to put on a façade to hide how this war affected him. He wanted to stop, but his loyalty to Vadam and Emerald kept him from running. Regarding the late Grand Kaidon, Jaune knew that after this war was dealt with, another would arise, and Emerald would once again be called to arms. But, he wasn't about to let her do this alone.

As their ship touched down, at the initial defensive line, Hanuk and team CVFY were there to greet them. The small group shared a small moment of joy before the information on the jammer was relayed. With little time, Hanuk decided to relay the information to Tsar and break off a small group to deal with one of the jammers. Having a vague idea where to search for the first jammer, the small group of Hunters and Huntresses departed west, towards the docks on foot as to not attract attention. Though, before leaving completely, Coco gestured to Hanuk. "Oi! Don't die out there. You still owe me a drink four-lipped." She called out playfully. The Kaidon merely grinned and flashed a finger, presumably a gesture similar to a human giving the middle finger.

"Are you certain?" Tsar asked, realizing now why the commander didn't keep contact up until now. Once Hanuk nodded, the first zealot of the north unsheathed his blade and gestured a few Kaidon to ready-up. He then turned to the older heiress. "Guard this position until we return." He ordered. However, the Schnee protested. "I'm going with you, if those jammers are Schnee tech, I might be able to deactivate them."

"I have a way to deactivate them too." Tsar gestured to a grenade on his belt.

"And what if your plan doesn't work, Schnee tech is built on durability, and you'd only be wasting ammunition." Winter pressed her argument, but with time limited, Tsar annoyingly allowed her to come along, leaving Okin and Glasgow in charge of the defense forces. Given the information they had, the small detachment made their way to a possible location for jammer. An abandoned factory near one of the walls served a nice place to hide equipment, but an obvious location for a war-torn city. The walk was uneventful, and eerily quiet, though, the gunfire resumed almost immediately after they discovered the abandoned building. The White Fang was determined to win this war, but their numbers were limited, and morale dropped significantly after the allied invasion at Ana's Fjord. Tsar had no intention of allowing the invaders of his homeland to activate their bomb, nor would he allow his brethren to have died in vain. Upon reaching the entry to the factory, Tsar signaled his team to halt as he sniffed the air for hostiles. Unfortunately, the air was thick with rotting flesh and burning metal. Picking up any form of life would be difficult, even for him. If they were going to enter this building, they'd do so under stealth. Following closely behind him was Hanuk and Winter, each with rifles aimed high towards the dark, presumably empty insides of the factory. Once the whole team entered and got a good look around, it felt as if their only lead led them to a dead end. Hanuk stood up straight up. "Clear I suppose, let's move o-"

After the first shot echoed within the empty room, the small group glanced to the playful Kaidon with blood trailing from his chest. Hanuk's hand pressed against the wound, the Kaidon gazed at his own blood before turning to his old friend. Before Tsar could utter a single word, another shot rang within the empty factory, again striking the first Kaidon of the east. The soldier's body tumbled, slowly, down on the feet of his friend.

AN: Sorry for the delay guys, this year hasn't been starting off so good for me. My mental state can barely take the school work, family disputes, and a dead relationship...adult life, no, life in general just isn't going my way. At the very least, it's not giving me a break. Though, it is the start of the year so maybe there's something better waiting later on. At the least fanfic and anime continues to keep my head above the storm. But enough about me, you all came for the story and updates, not the author's problems. Well, I can say that updates will take a little long, but they shall come nonetheless.

Also, that ending to RWBY v3, all I can says is that it should've been obvious given how the intro song goes. Oh, and I want to share a quick theory I have. While I do believe Taiyang loved Summer, I don't believe he's Ruby's biological dad. In that, I feel like Qrow might be hiding secrets from both Yang and Ruby. Perhaps, Ruby and Qrow are more related than what the plot lets on, but hey, that's just my speculation. And before I close, I would like to say: Am I glad Arkos has sunk?…a little bit, yes, however, I've made it quite clear before, I am no fan of cannon ships. And yes I call Arkos cannon since it was made true, even if it was for the shortest time. Nonetheless, I used to ship Pyrrha and Jaune when their interactions were mere subtext, but after getting to know them better…yea, I drifted from that pairing. I can list a whole chapter of reasons I began to distance myself from this pairing, but I'm not going into that today. Once again, Thanks again for reading.