Episode 1: Chapter 9: Bait

Chapter 9 of Episode 1 of War of Seasons

The Kingdom of Atlas

 

 

 

            Miles was trying to keep himself from getting bored while standing around.  Ozpin hadn’t even told everybody what the plan was, he simply said that a select team was going to Atlas in order to transfer another one of these Relics to Beacon for safekeeping.  It didn’t make any sense.   Why would Ozpin move the Relic from the most advanced, militaristic and secure kingdom in Remnant to a place that has been attacked and overrun on multiple occasions?  Before he could ponder further, Ty walked up right next to him.
            “Why do you think that….”
            “Ozpin is moving the Relic from here to Beacon?” Miles said cutting Ty off.  “I’ve been asking myself the same exact question.”
            “Actually, I was going to ask why did he only take a few of us?  He left Christy, Brooklyn, Ember and a good amount of our other friends back at Beacon.”
            “Probably to make sure Beacon doesn’t get trampled while we’re gone.”
            “If that’s the case, then why take all of our best fighters here to Atlas and not leave them in Beacon?”
            “Are you discounting the fighting ability of that group of people?”
            “No, they’re all great fighters in their own right.  But why not leave somebody like Pyrrha or Jacob or somebody who is a fighting prodigy?”
            “Ozpin probably wanted all the prodigies here to protect the Relic” Evan said as he walked over to join the group.  “If the Order already has one of the four, probably not a good idea to risk potentially losing another one just because we left our strongest friends back at home.”

            “Still, who’s to say that the Order isn’t playing us?” Miles said scratching his chin.  “After all, if the Relic of Knowledge can tell them as much as Ozpin claims it can, they might have found out where the other relics are hiding and are making a beeline for the ones that are unguarded at this very moment while we stand around to guard one that probably won’t hurt us as much if the Order gets their hands on it.”

            “I’m not sure about that last part” Ruby said as she walked over as she twiddled her thumbs.  “The Relic of Connection can create portals to pretty much anywhere in the world without much thought.  Yes, the Order might be planning an attack on wherever the remaining relics are hidden.  But at the same time, if they had the Relic of Connection, all they would have to do is think it and boom.  They have to just take a few steps in order to obtain their prize.”

            “Still, feel like the Relics of Life and Death carry a bit more weight and importance to keep out of the wrong hands instead of protecting something that’s already sealed away in the most advanced country in all of Remnant” Miles said cracking his neck.  “Where would we even move this thing that’s more secure than Atlas headquarters?”  But before anybody could comment on Miles’ statement, an alarm started going off.  The automated computer voice began relaying instructions.

            “ALL HANDS, BATTLE STATIONS.  I REPEAT, ALL HANDS, BATTLE STATIONS.  CODE 2814 IS IN EFFECT.  ALL PERSONEL….” As the machine droned on, everybody prepared their weapons, not sure where the enemy was coming from, or who they were bringing.  Suddenly, there were extremely loud crashes on the top of the roof. Miles, Ty, Evan, and Ruby all got in a circle, making sure they had eyes on every potential entry pont.  Suddenly, the ceiling shook even more than previously.  The lights started to flicker, and everything seemed like it could be destroyed in a matter of moments.
            “Strike ships” Ty said as he morphed his sword to bazooka form.  “Always hated these things.”
            “If you hated them back then,” Ruby said with a smile, “you’re going to hate their newest update.”
            “And what kind of update is that?” Before Ruby had a chance to tell Ty, the ceiling exploded and the strike ships flew in.  They were small pods that were armored, and had small turrets mounted on the sides.  The second they got into the main hallway, the turrets came to life, forcing the group to find cover behind a nearby corner.
            “Since when could they actually burrow into a bunker or military base?!” Ty asked as he checked his aura levels, making sure that his defense hadn’t been damaged too much.
            “Since about the fifth line of that make of ship” Ruby said as she loaded dust cartridges into her weapon.  “After the Battle of Vytal, Ironwood wanted to ensure that….”
            “History lesson later maybe?” Evan said as he pulled out his spear.  “I might have an idea of taking them all by surprise.”
            “This had better work or else we’re in trouble” Miles said as he drew his blades.

 

 

 

            Weiss was frantically pacing back and forth through her office.  The attack had begun, and she wasn’t sure how well Atlas could handle the attack, especially given Ozpin’s plan.
            “Are you certain this will work professor?” Weiss asked as her pacing grew more and more frantic.  “We might have played our hand wrong.  They read us like a book!  We should find a new strategy!”
            “Calm down Mrs. Schnee” Ozpin said taking a sip of his coffee.  “There’s a reason everybody is located where they are right now.”  After saying that, he turned his attention to the other side of the room where Ironwood was doing several calculations with his other generals.
            “How close are we James?” Ozpin asked hovering over Ironwood’s shoulder.
            “We need more time” Ironwood said wiping the sweat from his forehead.  “But we could have it ready to go within the next fifteen minutes.”
            “I just hope everybody can stay alive for that long” Weiss said as she tried to get a handle on her breathing.

 

 

 

            All the turrets didn’t know where their targets had disappeared to.  A few moments ago, the heat signature detection apparatus on the ships were picking up four life forms behind a corner, but all of a sudden, there was nothing.  One of the lieutenants activated a holo-message with Lord Imperia on the other end.
            “Lord Imperia, we have infiltrated the west wing.  Will proceed to secure the target.  You may prepare your approach.”
            “Good work lieutenant” Lord Imperia said with a smile.  “Make sure that the west wing is secured for when I make my descent.  Once the enemy recognizes who’s here, we won’t have much time before they fire on us.”

            “Very good my lord” the lieutenant said as he hung up.  But just as he put his Scroll away, suddenly the four they were hunting down had appeared almost out of thin air.  They leapt out of the hallway, almost like they were jumping right through a painting.  Within that opening, everybody struck down all the enemy soldiers in the vicinity.  There was almost no chance for the Order soldiers to even have their brains comprehend what had happened, everything took place in an instant.  Ruby then looked up through one of the holes left behind by one of the strike ships.  She noticed that the Atlesian air force had already taken to the sky, and was combating several different Order fighters and bombers.  The Order seemed to have the upper hand, but they clearly had only done some minor changes and upgrades to their arsenal as compared to Atlas who was constantly improving their technology.  On top of that, most of their ships still had some clear battle damage from Mistral, making shooting them down that much easier.  However, Ruby noticed that the main airship was making a beeline straight for where they were standing.  She quickly pulled out her Scroll and called Ozpin.

            “Hey Oz,” Ruby said in a nervous voice, “I think their leader is coming down to meet us.”

 

 

            “Stay calm Mrs. Rose” Ozpin said seeming the most in control that he had in a long while.  “Where is your current location?”
            “Right now?” Ruby said with a confused look.  “Well, we’re in the west wing of the Academy.  We took down a couple strike ships as well as the soldiers inside, but that’s about it.  It’s almost as if their entire strategy was to just run straight at us without a plan and hope for the best.”
            “Keep them occupied” Ironwood said as he continued his calculations.  “We’re just about ready on our end.”
            “Is it ready then James?” Ozpin said as he gazed at the giant wall of code.
            “Yes,” Ironwood said as he showed off a piece of the virus that he and other Atlas techs had made.  “Long-range communications for the Order will be jammed.  The furthest they can contact is only between their airships in the nearby vicinity.  We can keep them from talking with their base.”
            “Excellent” Ozpin said with a smile and another sip of coffee.  He then pulled out his Scroll and began going through his contacts to find exactly who he was looking for.

 

 

 

Lord Imperia watched as the airship slowly descended to the west wing of Atlas Academy.
            “Something doesn’t feel right” Lord Imperia said as she started to grow more worried the closer they got to the Academy.
            “What specifically doesn’t feel right my lord?” Lord Sangui, who had been acting as the second in command on the ship, asked Lord Imperia directly.

            “It’s almost as if they want us to attack them in this manner.”
            “What would you have me do about it my lord?”

            “Lord Sangui,”Lord Imperia said turning to face him.  “I want you to take a ship and infiltrate a different wing of this building, preferably one away from the main battle.  See if you could possibly find the Relic in a place they didn’t expect us to be.”
            “Any particular reason why you don’t want me to be a part of the primary strike force my lord?”
            “Call it insurance” Lord Imperia said as she turned back to the window to continue observing the descent.  “I feel like they were ready for us, and that doesn’t always end well, especially against a power house like Atlas.”
            “Then I will ensure our victory and help us regain the element of surprise my lord.”  With that, Lord Sangui made his way to the stealth pods and prepared to launch himself deep behind enemy lines.

 

 

 

The Kingdom of Vacuo

 

 

 

Christy kept sharpening her axes, anxiously awaiting the call from Ozpin.  Suddenly, her Scroll buzzed, and she opened it almost instantly.
            “The Order has taken the bait” Ozpin said with a smile on his face.  “You may begin your operation.”
            “With pleasure professor.”  With that, Christy hung up and turned to her team consisting of herself, Brooklyn, Ember, Natalie, Terra, Auora, and Hera.  She gave them the signal, and they all got their weapons prepared.  Looking over the ridge, they saw a deep valley.  But instead of the drifts of sand and rock that one would expect in the wilds of Vacuo, this specific valley had a gigantic temple.  A gigantic temple face leading deep into the ground below the surface.
            “Is this it?” Christy asked looking over at Natalie.  Natalie walked up, and clenched her fist in anger.
            “Yeah.  My memories may be fuzzy, but I still remember that place.  This is the Order’s secret base.”
            “All right then” Brooklyn said with a smile and a crack of her knuckles.  “Time for a little payback.”

Author's Note

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[Shep]

The attack had begun, and she wasn’t sure how well Atlas could handle the attack, especially (givne)
Ozpin’s plan.

They (leapt) out of the hallway and background, almost like they were jumping right through a (paining.)

Let the games begin as we do another little battle for another relic or is it just a ploy? I guess I have to read on to find out. another awesome chapter keep nup the good work. Please return the love.