Alright, I'm back with Chapter 3 of The Vale Order. I know it's a little delayed compared to the previous two chapters, but I wanted to make sure everything was just right. A lot of the backstory, history, and future plans will be discussed as we progress further into the story. And much of the time I spent writing this was focused on these very things. This chapter might suffer for it, but hopefully you guys still enjoy it.

Ziiroh: Glad you liked it. The idea to name the various vehicles after Grimm was a plan I had when I decided to make the Grimm more or less humanlike. And, as for Team JNPR, I think this chapter answers that question.

Tear of Light: Glad you are liking the story. I can understand not being able to visualize the Grimm because, honestly, I never really put a whole lot of thought into it. However, since I recently did, I decided that they might look something like 7 foot tall werewolves, with a slender but powerful frame. Much less fur, though. Hope that helps!

Anyways, I'll go ahead and stop talking now. You guys probably didn't come so I could talk your ears off. Enjoy!

Day 21, Month 7, Year 75 of the Sixth Age

"Team RWBY, your objective is simple: capture the enemy flag and return it to your base along side your own." A computerized voice spoke over the four's AURA. Team RWBY was currently inside one of the many training facilities on board the Emerald Forest. This simulation was to assess the team's ability in leading soldiers in a battle.

The battle they were simulating was a particularly important faunus battle. The Battle of Niashi Goli was one of the first large-scale battles on Menagerie, and important for many reasons. In particular, it helped thrust the Arata Alliance into power, giving them a near stranglehold on Haisa. It also signaled the end of the Tenanas Empire's reign.

Team RWBY was in charge of the Arata Alliance, the joint military/political power formed by the merging of the Arata Kingdom and the Renya Republic. The goal, which had been simplified to capturing a flag that the Tenanas had, was to be handled as one would a real life battle.

Immediately, Ruby looked the battlefield over. The area was fairly flat, with few mountains. However, forests covered a lot of the land, giving plenty of area for an army to hide. Rivers crisscrossed the land as well, and the southern portion of the battlefield was a soggy swamp.

Ruby was, as leader of Team RWBY, in charge of the entire army, but each of the others had their own force to command. Weiss had control of the Ranger Division, a fast, light force useful at attacking from a distance. Blake was in command of the cavalry, mounted on large, horse-sized felines called 'Renyan Twintails' for their double spine. She would have the fastest ground force under her command. Yang was in command of the armored division. This force consisted of the heavy weaponry. Catapults, trebuchets, ballistae. It suited Yang's philosophy of 'Keep hitting it until it falls down.'

"Alright, there's a clearing just a few hundred meters north of our location." Ruby said after a long silence. "Chances are it's an ambush to head this way." A sound deduction. The clearing was flanked on the east by a forest, and the west by the only mountains in the area. However, there went many ways to cross into Tenanas land that were fairly safe.

Weiss stood next to Ruby, looking over a map. The simulation worked similarly to the real-time strategy games that were popular among the youth of Vale. The heiress was impressed with Ruby's knack for combat. Whether it be in actual combat or command, she was a natural.

The heiress noticed that the forest, though fairly thick, wasn't very wide, maybe a kilometer at most. Or rather, it was scaled that way. On Menagerie, the forest was nearly a hundred kilometers at its narrowest. However, a full-scale map would take too much power to render, and the battle would take weeks.

"We should send a decoy unit into the pass." Blake said suddenly. The faunus knew how the battle went: she was extremely knowledgeable about her past. "If there is an ambush waiting, we would lose only a few hundred soldiers compared to a few thousand." Blake's idea was solid, but Ruby wasn't convinced.

"Yeah, but those few hundred could help later." Ruby countered. Unnecessary loses were something Ruby tended to avoid. Strength in numbers and all that.

"But if there is an ambush waiting, and we send our entire force in, then it wouldn't matter." Weiss said frankly. The redhead looked at her partner with a curious look. She weighed her options before making her choice.

"Alright. Blake, send in some of your troops. Me and Weiss will take ours through the forest." Ruby ordered, setting the plan into motion. Given that the pass would be the most likely entry point, the other team would be protecting it at all costs. It was the only way that siege weaponry could get through. At least, for the moment.

"Be careful on the other side." Yang warned, her force left with most of Blake's to protect the base. "If that other team's any good, they'll be keeping a watch on the forest." The idea was solid. Plan on multiple fronts. Don't get caught from behind. Ruby nodded.

"You got it."

xXxXx

Team JNPR was at their base camp, the Tenanas fort in the area, watching as a small force entered the pass. 'Just as Pyrrha predicted.' Jaune Arc thought.

Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren formed Team JNPR. At first glance, they seemed like the perfect team. Of course, you can never judge a book by its cover.

Jaune Arc wasn't sure of himself. He had a knack for leading, that could be seen. But his other skills were less than impressive. He didn't have the most accurate aim, and he tended to avoid confrontation. However, there was no denying that, when push came to shove, he was one of the most talented leaders in BEACON.

Pyrrha Nikos stood next to Jaune, her flaming red hair easily distinguished from his blond. The woman was in charge of the ground forces in the simulation. She watched as Team RWBY's small group began its trek through the pass.

"Something's not right…" Pyrrha commented. The force was nowhere near the full size of the Arata army. It wasn't even close to a 10th. "They're trying to feel us out." Pyrrha added. Why else would someone send a squad this small through the only clear pass?

"They must know we planned to ambush them." Lie Ren, referred to as Ren by everyone, spoke. His hair was jet black, save for one pink lock. His pink eyes held a combination of softness and hardness in them. "Keep an eye on the forests." He suggested. Nora, a short ball of energy with bright orange hair, nodded.

Jaune looked the battle field over. Their battle plan was simple: Keep the pass covered and force Team RWBY to cross through the forest to have a chance. Then, meet the scattered forces there and destroy them. A simple but effective plan.

"We should take out that small group." Nora suggested, looking at the enemy force. It wasn't large, maybe a few hundred soldiers, none of them important. "Make them have to take the forests." Ren and Pyrrha nodded.

Jaune, however, shook his head. "Hm?" Nora wondered, looking at her leader curiously. "Why not?" The short girl sounded almost dejected, like a child who had been told no.

Jaune sighed. "If we let them know we planned to ambush them in the pass, they would go through the forest." Jaune started, pointing at the path they were covering. "However, if we let them think we aren't covering the pass, they might decide to send a larger force through." Jaune mentioned.

Pyrrha looked at the field again. "Maybe, but if they send their forces through the woods, then we'd be caught from behind." She commented, pointing out the path out of the woods. Jaune nodded.

"Then we just need to cover both." He said, marking each area. "Nora and Ren could cover the pass while me and you keep the forests covered." He suggested, splitting the army up accordingly.

Ren looked it over. "It could work." He said, not noticing any major flaws. "Alright, let's go." Ren ordered his force to keep the pass covered, as did Nora. Pyrrha and Jaune moved their forces into position around the edge of the forest.

Now they hoped Team RWBY wasn't planning for this as well…

xXxXx

Ruby's scouts noticed movement on the edge of the forest. It seemed Team JNPR wasn't easily fooled. The squad that entered the pass had yet to be attacked. So either Team JNPR wasn't covering the pass, or they weren't showing their whole hand. The former seemed almost impossible: the pass was the most direct route into Tenanas territory.

"Well, this isn't good." Ruby commented. Her force was stalled in the woods, not ready to exit. Weiss's was behind hers, a second wave in case combat couldn't be avoided. "Team JNPR has half their army outside to woods waiting for us." Yang made a noise of annoyance.

"Their idiot of a leader's actually pretty good…" Weiss commented. She was looking at the map. There weren't a lot of options. They could head through the pass and get destroyed by the ambush they knew was there. Or, they could head through the forest and have a more even, but still lopsided, fight.

"Blake, you got any ideas?" Ruby asked, also looking the map over. Of the two options they had, the forest was the less likely to fail, but it was still a pretty long shot.

There was silence for almost a minute. "We could spring the trap in the pass." She suggested. Ruby was curious.

"Yeah, okay?" Yang said over the AURA. Her voice was less curious and more sarcastic. "And then we'd get our asses handed to us. Good plan." Ruby had to hold back a chuckle.

Blake, however, didn't sound like she was laughing. "We strike first." She said flatly. "They wouldn't expect us to attack them, especially since they have the high ground." Ruby thought it over. It was risky, but it had the element of surprise.

"I still don't think it'll work." Yang commented, her voice less sarcastic and more realistic. "Even if we do attack, what's to say they won't just send more into the pass?"

Yang's voice lowered as she finished the question. Ruby smirked. "That's the idea, isn't it?" She asked. Make them think the battle was there, then attack from the woods.

You could hear Blake's smile over the AURA. "Exactly. It's what actually happened at Niashi Goli." Blake's voice held an air of pride.

"Alright, Blake, go ahead and press the attack." Ruby said. "Yang, give her some support. We need to make it look like we're attacking them there." Ruby added, getting confirmations from her teammates. She then turned to Weiss.

"We'll need to be ready to move after them." She said. Weiss nodded in agreement.

xXxXx

Jaune looked at the pass in disbelief. His plan was actually working? When did this happen?

Ren and Nora were caught slightly off guard by the sudden attack by Team RWBY. Actually, they were caught off guard by the fervor by which Team RWBY was attacking.

"It seems your plan's working, Jaune." Pyrrha commented, looking over the enemy force. It could pass as a small army, and while it wasn't the full force of Team RWBY, it was more than Ren and Nora could fight off.

"We should give them help." Jaune added, noticing that his other teammates were quickly losing ground. "I'll send my force in, you keep your's here." Jaune ordered, sending his force towards the pass.

Pyrrha looked at the map with concern.

xXxXx

Blake smirked. "They took the bait." She said over the AURA. "They must think we're planning to attack here."

Ruby looked at Weiss and nodded. The two mobilized their units and exited the forest. As suspected, a small enemy force awaited them. Fortunately, the battle wasn't long or difficult. The enemy retreated, headed towards the pass. Ruby smirked.

"I'll head into the pass after them. Weiss, you head to the enemy base." Ruby ordered. Weiss nodded, sending her unit further east while Ruby's went west.

The battle was about to begin.

xXxXx

Jaune was agitated.

It seemed he fell for his very own trap. After sending his forces in to assist Ren and Nora, a large force exited the woods and began to pursue Pyrrha's force. Broken, Pyrrha brought them to the pass. Now, Team JNPR was fighting a two fronted battle.

But Jaune had a plan.

"Nora, Ren, pull your forces out and return to the base." Jaune ordered, looking on as the Tenanas army was getting destroyed by the Arata. "Pyrrha, you and me will head back up the hills." Pyrrha nodded.

Their forces scattered, fleeing into the mountains as Team RWBY followed them. There was a small wooded area on the other side of the mountains, which gave way to some highlands.

Once in the woods, Jaune and Pyrrha stopped their retreat. With the bulk of Team RWBY's force after them, Ren and Nora could defend the base from the small group that headed that way.

"Once you push them back, strike the main force from behind." Jaune ordered. Nora and Ren made noises of acknowledgement over the AURA.

Now they were on the defensive.

xXxXx

Ruby was worried. This was too easy.

Sure enough, before she finished the thought, Weiss encountered a large force. Unable to fight that much, she pulled out, returning to the pass and linking up with the main force.

"Now what?" Yang asked, noticing they were pretty well exposed.

Ruby looked around. Half of JNPR's force was in the woods on the other side of the mountain. The other half was bearing down on them.

However, that seemed like the plan. Follow them up the mountain, then get attacked from both sides. The forest to their east was the only way out.

"Weiss, you and Blake head back to camp." Ruby ordered. This wasn't the time to fight. "Me and Yang will head into the woods and wait for them to regroup." The three nodded and did as ordered.

xXxXx

Where was Team RWBY?

"What do you mean they aren't here?" Jaune asked Ren when his teammate relayed the information.

Ren sighed. "I mean, they aren't in the pass." His voice held a slight bit of annoyance. Jaune sighed heavily.

xXxXx

So far so good. Team JNPR looked confused.

"Alright, Blake. Send your group around." Ruby ordered. Blake made a noise of affirmation.

Blake's force headed through the forest and into the plains. They were going to be decoys, hopefully drawing the bulk of JNPR's forces into the open.

The idea, known as 'Karenia Sheani,' was a military tactic used by faunus armies. It involves shadowing an opposing force and striking them from behind. Fittingly, Karenia Sheani translated to 'Shadow Strike.'

Ruby just hoped the plan wouldn't backfire.

xXxXx

Pyrrha noticed a sizable force exiting from the forest. It wasn't a whole army, but it was definitely a threat.

"There they are." The flame haired girl told Jaune, pointing the enemy force out. Jaune noticed it with a small smile.

"Alright. Nora, Ren, you guys cut them off." Jaune spoke. Pyrrha frowned. "What?" The blond asked.

Pyrrha looked the field over. "We should surround them." She suggested. "Our force would be regrouped. Besides, chances are they would send in their main force after this." Jaune thought about the plan.

Ren, however, wasn't too thrilled with the plan. "I don't think we should do it." He said plainly. The frown was audible in his voice. "It leaves us open to an attack." Nora made a noise of agreement.

Jaune sighed. "Let's go."

xXxXx

Poor Jaune. He was a good leader. He just wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch.

As soon as Team JNPR bit on the decoy, Ruby, Weiss and Yang all followed them into the battle. Blake's forces were quite able to fend off the majority of Team JNPR's force, so that when Ruby, Weiss and Yang joined the fray, Blake's forces sustained heavy, but not total, casualties.

After that, JNPR tried to retreat, but Blake's mounted forces were able to cut them off halfway up the main path. The battle would be bloody and fairly one-sided.

Shortly thereafter, the simulation was ended by the administrator, Dr. Oobleck, the chief historian on board the Emerald Forest.

"Impressive!" Oobleck's voice boomed into the simulation bay. Both teams were inside the now plain room, though on opposite sides, separated by a glass wall in the room's center. Team JNPR looked disappointed, most evident on Pyrrha's face. Team RWBY, naturally, looked pleased.

"Team RWBY, excellent use of Karenia Sheani." Oobleck complemented, his voice somewhat impressed. Ruby beamed widely, very subtly jumping in place.

Oobleck then directed his words to Team JNPR. "Private Nikos." The Dr. started, his voice even. "Brute force is not the only way to win a battle." He said plainly. "I hope you can learn from this experience." Pyrrha's face fell ever so much.

"You are dismissed."

xXxXx

The Emerald Forest was currently in orbit around the Beta system for refueling. Their ultimate destination was Eta, where the Hunters-in-training would undergo a rigorous training regimen to prepare them for combat.

They had left Vytal 11 days ago. Though, because of time dilation, the trip had felt like it had only taken 9 days. Funny thing, relativity.

Team RWBY were assigned their own bay following their initiation. It wasn't the largest or most luxurious room on the Emerald Forest, but it was adequate for four Huntresses.

Ruby entered the room full of energy. She didn't doubt that she'd do well in the simulation. She always had a knack for combat. However, socially, Ruby wasn't the most successful person, despite her mother's and, more importantly, sister's attempt to break her out of her shell.

Weiss looked at her leader with a mixture of awe and annoyance. On one hand, Ruby was a great leader. She could see how a battle was forming, how it was breaking down, and plan her team's actions accordingly.

However, if she wasn't in combat, Ruby could be, for lack of a better word, annoying. She was constantly talking. She never sat still. She acted like a child. And worse, Yang seemed to encourage it.

At the moment, the four were on their bunks, each left to their own devices. Ruby was skimming over the after-action report of their simulation, looking it over for any missed opportunities or failed actions. Weiss was reading a history book, learning as much as she could about the history of the faunus. Blake was…chanting? It was odd, whatever it was. Still, she wasn't making a lot of noise. Not as much as the blonde who slept above her, anyways. Yang seemed to be listening to the most recent 'Achieve Men' album, singing along to the music.

"Um, could you please stop?" Weiss said, loud enough to be heard over the music blaring into Yang's ears. The blonde looked at Weiss and pulled the headphones off her head.

"Um, I'm sorry. What was that?" She asked innocently. For a woman with a…fairly endowed chest, Yang could act worse than Ruby at times. Speaking of the leader, she giggled softly from above Weiss.

The heiress sent a glare towards the blonde. "Some of us are trying to concentrate." She said coldly. To further her point, she motioned to Blake. The faunus woman didn't seem to notice either way, but that didn't matter. Yang's face simply remained innocent.

"Oh." She said plainly. She poked her head down to look at Blake, who didn't give the blonde a look one way or the other. Yang flipped her head upright once more, a goofy smile on her face. "She doesn't seem to mind!" Her voice was full of joy.

Ruby stifled laughter from her bunk. Weiss shot up, fuming, and turned to Ruby. "You're our leader!" The white-haired girl half-shouted. Ruby shrunk slightly, but for her part, didn't back down completely.

"Yeah, and?" She countered plainly. "We all need some time to ourselves every now and then." She argued, her voice casual. "What we do with that time is up to us."

Weiss groaned loudly. From her bunk, Blake huffed. Her concentration broken, she collected herself and turned to the heiress.

"We all have different ways of cooling off after a mission." She said knowingly. "It seems that Yang prefers to listen to obnoxious boy bands." The raven haired woman said with the slightest bit of mirth. Yang frowned slightly. "I prefer to meditate, and Ruby seems content with scrutinizing the details of our earlier missions." Blake's voice was calm and even.

Weiss, however, was still angry. "Well, Blondie here needs to keep it down with the singing!" She shot back. It was clear that the heiress was defeated. Ruby just sighed.

"Weiss, we get it." The redhead said softly. She turned to Yang. "Do you think you could keep the singing to yourself, Yang?" Ruby asked her sister casually. "You aren't all that good, anyways." She added teasingly.

That worked, because Yang's frown turned into a smile. "I'm still leagues ahead of you, little sis." Yang shot back. Ruby simply stuck her tongue out at Yang. Blake silently laughed at the sisters' antics. Weiss, however, didn't seemed amused.

However, she remained silent as she returned to her bunk, her face still torn in a scowl. There was still a long way to go before this team could work as a well oiled machine.

xXxXx

"I'm really sorry, guys." Pyrrha said for what felt like the hundredth time, as Team JNPR entered their bay. Jaune sighed heavily as he fell on his bunk.

"It's alright, Pyrrha." Ren said for what also felt like the hundredth time. "Your plan had merit. Team RWBY just planned a few steps ahead." He groaned as he sat on his bunk, barely avoiding a certain orange haired bundle of energy.

"Aw, c'mon guys, quit being such downers!" Nora said cheerily as she bounced into a sitting position. Using Ren as leverage, she stood up. The black-haired man groaned as he felt the extra weight on his shoulders. "We should do something fun!" Nora was literally bouncing at the suggestion.

Jaune sat up. "What?" He asked plainly. Sure, he was all for something relaxing, but there wasn't a whole lot to do at the moment. Being still in training, they had limited access to the Emerald Forest's facilities. If it didn't involve training, they couldn't do it.

Pyrrha sat on her bunk primly. "We could always head to the Coliseum." She suggested. "I thought I heard some soldiers talking about a Grifball match being live-streamed." She added. Nora practically jumped out of her skin. Ren seemed less enthusiastic, but he was liking the idea.

Jaune shrugged. "Sure, why not?" He stood up. Nora charged him and nearly knocked him over, placing her hands on his shoulders and shaking him quite violently. "Ah, st-stop Nor-ra!" Jaune managed to stutter out.

Fortunately, Ren grabbed the fireball and pulled her away. "Thanks, Ren…" Jaune said breathlessly.

xXxXx

Ruby had just finished reading over the after-action report when an alarm blared throughout the ship.

"All personnel to battle stations! Repeat, all personnel to battle stations! This is not a drill!" The automated voice rang out, clearly audible over the screaming sirens.

The four looked at each other with hesitation. Before anything could be said, their AURA's flashed a message. "All recruits report to the staging area ASAP. This is not a drill." It read.

Without a single word, the four sprinted out of their bay, only one thing on their minds.

The Emerald Forest was under attack.

...Aaandd cliffhanger! Hopefully, from this point onwards, I can begin to focus on the team dynamics of each group. There will be a lot of combat coming up, and none of it is simulated! They're playing for keeps now.



Well, leave a comment if you liked it. And I'll see about getting back at you in the next chapter!

