USS Enterprise. CVN-100.

... As the survivors, Civilians and Huntsmen alike, went into triage aboard the Naval Vessel known as the Enterprise, General Ironwood was the first to spot multiple medals etched into the armored conning tower of the warship... As well as the ID Number CVN-100. Marching from the deck were possible flight crew, wearing emerald-green, deep-yellow and dark-red jackets, with the writing of their differing jobs on their backs. Marines clad in medical gear also dashed to the top with Stretchers and picked up wounded Civilians. The ship must've had at least ONE kilometer width...

"Damn..." Yang said as he saw the aircraft situated further back. F-18 Fighters, A-10A1 Warthogs, Ospreys and about a dozen more Naval Fighters Yang couldn't name. Six fighters taxied to the front launch stations and panels extended. Jet-engine deflectors, possibly... Yang gasped as she saw the multicolored crews make their checkups on the aircraft, at least one of each one the birds. As the checkup completed, the one clad in a black jacket gave a thumbs up, then the yellow ones took position in front of the aircraft and made several hand signals... Before kneeling and pointing forward... The aircraft's engines thundered and roared... Then they burst off the deck at high speed. And Yang had just now noticed they were loaded for combat.

A Medical crew, followed by a woman clad in a white uniform, with a dozen medals, appeared to greet the girls and General. She saluted, to which Ironwood saluted back, then took off her cap, to reveal grey hair. She gave a nod to the girls, then said "General Ironwood, I presume..." in an accent he couldn't pin. The woman calmly continued, though "I am Fleet Admiral Annette Mercier, commander over all forces currently located on your world. Welcome aboard Battlegroup Infinity. Our little excursion into Remnant."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Fleet Admiral." The General gave a nod... The woman's greying hair was only accented by her deep teal eyes staring at him with a more friendly demeanor than the Generals on ground... Guess they didn't like a Navy kid looking over them. The woman gave a half-smile, then said "Do not worry, General. While I may be considered commander-in-chief on Remnant, I let the Generals of the different Corps units run their jobs the way they see fit. I'm only here to mediate."

She looked toward one of the Medics, who was checking the huntresses recovered, then said "Corporal, if you'd be so kind to escort the Huntsmen, Huntresses and General to the Holoconference Room, so we may begin our briefing." to which the soldier saluted wordlessly, urging those present to follow him... Filing neatly into the halls of the Warship, which were tight spaces filled with tubes, metal railings and light beams, as well as Crew and Marines walking around, the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Beacon spoke calmly to each-other.

"What do you think of them so far?" Ruby whispered back, smiling.

"Seem pretty cool to me." Yang gave a toothy grin to her sister, sitting farthest back in the team row. Blake gave a nod and said "I agree... They welcomed us nicely aboard their... Massive warship." and Weiss also returned a calm half-nod to her team leader, regarding the Infantrymen escorting them and the Admiral. Taking a turn to the right, they lined up in a massive briefing Hall that went two levels down and had about two hundred seats lined in rows, one above the other. More than enough to seat the personnel of the ship's Deck 01 and the Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Finding their seats beside team JNPR, of which Nora greeted them most cheerfully, team RWBY took their positions and watched as other Beacon trainees and even teachers filed out in order, finding their seats. Team CFVY looked to RWBY and Coco grinned and nodded to Ruby, who waved back, smiling. She then looked ahead as the Admiral took her place on the stage. The kind old lady took her peaked cap off, setting it on the small desk in front of her, before arranging a wire microphone and tapping into it.

"What do you think this briefing will be about?" Jaune asked Ruby.

"I don't know... Probably why they're here? Who they are and such?" Ruby offered in whisper... The Admiral cleared her throat as General Ironwood took his seat up front, then started speaking calmly "Welcome, welcome, people of Remnant! Worry not, we come... Mostly in peace!" and getting a few chuckles out of the crowd. The Admiral smiled, then said "I am Admiral Mercier, Commander-in-Chief of NATO's Remnant expedition and Battlegroup Infinity. You people must be wondering who we are... And frankly, we wouldn't blame you. A foreign politico-military entity arrived on your world, gunned down a load of vile monsters and terrorists, but by all means, let us question why they're here."

"Hehe." Yang smirked "I like her."

"Well, let me put it bluntly, children of Remnant... We're pretty much what amounts to your first contact with an alien civilization." And she took a pause to let people gasp... Then continued "NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is the Peacekeeping faction that works in the Western Hemisphere of our planet. We tried our damnedest to keep the peace, but we failed... Humanity on Earth, our home planet, has started running out of resources. Without resources, humans become dangerous... To provide for our children, we take from others... Well, that is what happened to us. A 2D Display of Earth, if you may!"

She spoke to one of the engineers out back... On the metal wall behind her, a dark-blue map with determined borders flashed. Bottom-right, it was written 'Standard Year:2040 AD, 4th of February'. The Admiral looked over the map as the world... Split in two quite literally down the middle, with several countries in the West taking up the color azure, while in the east, many major nations took a deep scarlet hue. NATO's emblem of the Globe flashed west, in the center of a massive, continent-spanning western country. In the East, a yellow Hammer, Sickle and Cog sat in the middle of 13 golden Stars...

"Humanity was split into two major factions, which are currently at war back on our home..." The Admiral pointed on the map utilizing a baton. "To the west, we have us. NATO. Represented by Mid-Eastern, Western and North-Western Europe and Africa, as well as the Americas. To the East... We have the Pan-Asian Coalition, or PAC. Present in most of Asia and Oceania. Our last two Bastions there are Japan" She pointed at a small archipelago of Isles just over a small channel from the PAC's main base, China "and Australia..." She then pointed at another continent-spanning nation below the isles and continued "Both of which are under constant attack. Them and Central Europe are always the hotspots of our war against the PAC. This is our Third Great War. Our World War 3... A conflict erupted not because of territory, not because of ideology... But because our children are starving, our industries, dying and our countries, ablaze."

"God..." Yang murmured.

"I wonder for how long their war's been going on for..." Nora spoke, staring at the map.

She took a solemn look as she spoke the last part. "But, a ray of hope came in the form of a Project which we are allowed to reveal to you today... Project M. To us, it is known as the Multiverse theory... And thanks to some very brave scientific minds, it seems to have been proven." And then she smiled "Remnant is not our land and we want to avoid bringing our War to you... But we also want you to understand, we need the untapped resources you have here to win it... While I feel as if I'm offering you a false choice and pointing a barrel at the back of your heads... Be assured, while we are not saints, the PAC would not even ask for your opinion. Russians, Chinese and Koreans don't take to kindly to being refused. We wouldn't give up our eastern allies, because NATO doesn't leave its allies. That's how the war began, because we didn't forego core nations for their own profits."

Everyone looked at each-other. Whispers erupted in the hall and Ironwood realized this transmission was also patched into the CCT, as his scroll played it. He looked down at it, then at the Admiral as she continued to speak "We wish for an alliance, not for war... Remnant has no place in war. Not with the Grimm... But what we ask you is that, whatever resources we find outside your Kingdoms' borders, we're allowed to keep for our war effort. We will repay you by freeing more land to control... By eliminating Grimm... We offer a trade. We will send representatives to each of your Kingdoms... And we will retake Vale from the Grimm. Any questions?"

General Ironwood raised his hand...

"Ah, yes, General Ironwood. Do go ahead." The woman offered.

"Admiral, with all the pleasantries involved in political discourse, I'd like to ask... One of your soldiers told me this is not your most advanced technology... If these items, these aircraft, carriers, warships and weapons are not your most advanced... What is?" The General offered and team RWBY and JNPR raised brows... The Admiral smiled, then nodded.

"Good question, General... If you'd please display File 7-0-3... Declassify the current NATO Arsenal now..." The woman spoke calmly to what appeared next to her out of thin air. A holographic projection of a human being. A Female with dark-blue hair and mechanical, teal eyes, as well as a US Navy uniform. She nodded, then flashed an image on-screen... A set of them...

Mechanized combat units appeared on-screen. Combat mechs similar to the Paladins, but more heavily armed and armored. Quad cannons, missile pods, anti-air flares... Even prototype Hardlight shielding and smaller CIWS, usually destined for ships. Radar arrays, fully mobile joints, jump packs... Magnetic handheld infantry weapons, light, yet powerful armors for the ground troops. Tread-going vehicles with Point-Defense Lasers and magnetic cannons and another set of heavy-duty Mechs... The names of the mechs and the two types, one more humanoid than the other, flashed on-screen. YMIR and THOR... One was a combat mech with quad cannons. The other was a Combat Mech with more concealed weaponry and more resembling of a human.

That spurred conversation among the Remnantfolk quite suddenly, with Ruby cheering on in the background at the sight of Earth's weapons. The Admiral smiled quaintly, then said "This is but a fraction of NATO's arsenal! What we've built to break the Stalemate will make even Remnant's best gunsmiths question the very existence of our world! But so far, our old guns have done the job. So, people of Remnant! We will deploy representatives. If you will accept them within your kingdoms, we will gladly speak about alliances, about rearmament... And about dealing with the Grimm. Battlegroup Infinity signs off... A good day and rest well. We shall talk more tomorrow... DISMISSED!"

And with that, people scattered out of the room... General Ironwood walked to the Admiral and spoke to her about arranging transport for Atlas with the NATO Rep destined for it... And perhaps opening up an Embassy. The woman seemed jovial as she gave reassurances that will happen. She even had the holographic person next to her phone in for a dropship to be ready... All while Team RWBY watched from a distance.

"Mechs, armored vehicles, ships and aircraft that outdo ours by at least a good few decades... And that was only the surface of their technological edge." Weiss muttered "These people have been at war for what I will assume is years since their resources are going dry... And they need us to provide them more." She then looked to her teammates "Doesn't it seem weird? Or a bit convenient they dropped when they did?"

"I'd not look a gift horse in the mouth." Blake Offered. "They saved us, after all... If it was all for PR, I can understand..."

"Plus, they mentioned they want resources outside of our kingdoms' borders' control." Yang smirked "Can't mean they'll be taking much Dust, then."

"I hope you're right, Yang." Weiss murmured...

"Oh, she is..." The girls heard a woman's voice behind them. They jumped out of their skins due to fright and screamed, swiveling about as they saw the holographic woman standing behind them with a smile. She waved and said "Greetings, Remnantfolk. I'm Lana." calmly, hands behind her back and smiling still. The girls, still shocked by the sudden teleportation of the woman, stared at her with surprise...

"Hi, Lana..." Ruby said. "Could you not do that, please?"

"Oh, forgive me if I frightened you." The girl noted. "Us, AI, do not have much in the way of interpersonal knowledge. My deepest apologies. But I simply came to observe you, ladies. Your color palette is so distinguishable from the rest of those here, I just had to." she then explained as team RWBY exchanged glances. Ruby squinted at the girl, then took a moment...

And realized "AI... You're an Artificial Intelligence!" She squeaked joyfully...

"Yes, yes..." The AI said proudly, taking a smug stance. "I'm among one of the first in NATO's project VANGUARD. You girls seem concerned over the fact NATO is doing this only for resources. Yes, we require the resources, but rest assured we also wish to keep as much of the human and Faunus population of Remnant alive... Allow them to thrive outside their kingdoms' walls. Men and women are working to find the source of the Grimm infestation. And once it is found, we will exterminate it at its core."

Yang leaned a hand on her hip and said "You guys would do that for us?"

"Anything for our new allies." Lana nodded, smiling. "Also, a side piece of info I must tell to all Huntsmen and Huntresses, if you desire to join NATO, there are Terminals all across the Enterprise where you can sign up... Trust us, we could use all the Manpower we can get, especially since you girls know Remnant and seem to also know your way around weapons. It is not obligatory, but it would much aid our War Effort..."

Team RWBY glanced at each-other, then to Lana, who tilted her head and said "I'm sorry, but I must go for now. The Admiral requires my presence. Do think it over, girls... I, at least, would much appreciate it. And I'm sure your families would too... Good day." before she dematerialized. The girls took a moment to think it over... Yang smirked, then said "I don't know about you, girls, but I'm all for it."

"Yang, what!?" Weiss barked "We're not meant to be soldiers!"

"No, no, I know, but listen to me..." Yang started, catching her team's and team JNPR's gazes as she spoke "There's a lot of great advantages to this. One:We get to fight alongside new people who don't even use Aura, but can still kick insurmountable amounts of ass due to their well-coordinated military. Two:We can learn new combat techniques and get specialized into roles pretty easily, considering our training."

"Which is basic at most." Weiss sighed.

"Inside the schools, yes, but we can get better with NATO. And three:It's accessible. I highly doubt Beacon's gonna let us in until they rebuild it fully. And we need to finish our training somehow." Yang explained calmly. "I vote we go for the NATO training regimen! And sprinkle in a bit of ol' Beacon training to help the boys and girls of NATO learn how to fight like us. Mix our fighting styles and I don't think even the Grimm or those PAC bastards are up to face us!"

"It... Does seem efficient." Blake offered, calling back to one of their first days in Beacon.

"Yeah, so come on! We can do this! We can get pretty cool upgrades for our gear in the meanwhile, too!" Yang spoke, smiling...

Weiss sighed, then looked to Ruby and asked "What do you think, Ruby? You're lead... You've got final call here." which garnered everyone else's attention to her. Ruby took a moment, gazing at both Yang and Weiss with worry... She sighed, then looked to Yang and asked "Sis... What if they make us fight those PAC guys? Do you wanna have to kill people?"

"I think it's a Remnant-only operation." Pyrrha said, garnering attention to her. "I mean, Lana did mention that they'll need us here for the op and to guide them around... I doubt we will see combat on Earth..." She then offered her take. Ruby gave Pyrrha a half-smile, while looking at the others... Nora had a wide grin, cracking her knuckles and Ren seemed calm. Jaune shrugged, smiling awkwardly...

"... You know what? If push comes to shove, we can probably ask them not to deploy us against any PAC units... If they don't agree... We'll figure it out. Like we always do." Little Red smiled. "So let's go find ourselves a signup terminal and head on out there." she then pumped her fist up... The rest of the team cheered and Weiss sighed. She too smiled, then gave a nod to Ruby. The two teams filed out of the conference hall and went out to find their Terminal...