If you lose a battle, do not despair. Great victories often lead to complacence.

A scout had just returned to the base at Arkos of Erusea. Supreme Commander Strike Freedom D'Elise of the Air Force stood up from his desk.

Paperwork was tedious anyway.

"NinJonic, what do you have to report?"

"We've found their base, sir," said the scout. He handed over a datapad with a spot marked on a map of the planet. "Pyrrha is Still With Us is in a large underground complex at these coordinates. However, it seems the missing child slaves have already been moved elsewhere."

"Excellent," said Strike. "Thank you for the information. You are dismissed."

NinJonic saluted and left. Strike opened a communications channel to Blue Whale King and Chaos Vulpix.

"We've finally found the coordinates for Pyrrha is Still With Us," he said. "I've sent them to you and will mobilize the air force immediately."

"That's wonderful news," said Vulpix. "We can finally root out the heart of the insurrection and restore peace and order to this planet."

"I will mobilize the Starfleet," said Whale. "We must strike hard and fast before they get a chance to escape or mount any resistance."

"I take it we're bringing everything we have?" Vulpix asked.

"Yes," said Strike. "We don't know exactly how strong they are, it might take our entire force to defeat them. We can't take any risks."

"I agree," said Whale. "We're wasting time already. Let's move out now, and strategize on the fly."

Strike sounded the battle alarm and ran to the hangar. Within minutes, he, Rosa, Futtlescish, and the rest of his wingmates were in the air and leaving the city of Arkos of Erusea behind.

And up in space, with their +2 Dreadnoughts of Overcompensation

The Protect and the Eliminate were circling around to the other side of the planet, where the enemy base was located.

"There it is," said Blue Whale King, from the bridge of the Protect to the group communication. "In that volcanic region over there. No wonder it took so long to find them, there's hardly any vegetation for them to have disturbed and no prior settlements."

"That's good news for us," said the hologram of Vulpix. "We don't have to worry as much about collateral damage."

"Does that mean we can use the white phosphorus?" Futtlescish asked.

"That's still only a last resort," said Strike. "It's against our constitution to be needlessly cruel."

"Since we don't need to worry as much about collateral damage, there's no reason not to use our larger, space-based weaponry," said Whale. "I think the Air Force would be best suited to forming a perimeter for this one, so that the enemy forces can't escape."

"While the Starfleet blasts them to hell," said Vulpix.

"That makes sense," said Strike. "We'll fly in a 200 kilometer circle around their base, and blast anything that tries to get through."

"I'll move the Protect to counter any space-based threats," said Whale, "while the Eliminate destroys their base."

Unfortunately, Pyrrha is Still With Us was already aware of the Arkos Military's presence.

And the leaders of the Dust Alliance weren't even there!

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Numbers asked. "We're losing an awful lot of assets here."

He, Generix, Metas M. Petivero, Tragic Solitude, and Ellubient Prism were hiding in a large, underground mining complex in the mountains, in between Arkos of Erusea and Miraculous Arkos. Some of their forces were there, with the rest hiding in similar places throughout the region, and within the cities themselves.

"It's not ideal," said Generix, "but it's a necessary sacrifice. If we confront them now, we'll be wiped out. Lose the battle to win the war. Their victory now will soon lead to downfall."

"You sure are a callous leader," said Prism.

"As long as I get my Strikey, I don't care," said Tragic. "It's the only way to make me whole again."

Or by removing those Bragg and D-Spair shrapnel lodged in her flesh, but I'm not going to tell her that.

"If you don't mind my asking, why are you helping us, Metas?" Prism asked. "Didn't you help them in the last battle?"

"Yes," he replied, flipping his stolen pocketwatch through the air, "but now circumstances are different. I can't have them helping RUBES. I have my own reasons for that."

"Fair enough," said Numbers. "We'll take what help we can get." He pulled out a radio, with the channel connected to EnTAIre Team.

Back at the fleet

"We've got incoming," said Vaniellis. "Two medium-sized capital ships."

"I see them," Blue Whale King replied. "They don't stand a chance against us, but if they're in the wrong spot they could buy time for our enemy."

"They're right where I need to be to line up the shot," said Vulpix.

"We'll handle this," said Whale. "The Protect will engage the enemy ships so you can get a clear shot."

The bulbous, pale blue dreadnought approached the two enemy ships, which were labeled EnTAIre Team and Dusted Romance. Both sides opened fire, lighting up the blackness of space with plasma beams and missiles.

"They're not moving out of the way," said Vaniellis.

"Maintain speed and heading," said Whale. "We will survive a collision. They won't."

Sure enough, just before impact, the two enemy ships lit their thrusters and moved, escaping collision by only a couple hundred meters.

"Hard to port," said Whale. "Block them off from where we just were, and maintain fire."

Vaniellis relayed the order to the crew. The Protect turned sideways, exposing its 17 kilometer length to the Dusted Romance and EnTAIre Team, forcing them to retreat further.

"Vulpix, now's your chance," said Whale.

"Already on it," Vulpix replied. The angular, dark purple Eliminate was moving into the spot where the enemy ships were a minute prior, and joined the Protect in firing its onboard weapons at the enemy ships.

"Strike, how are you doing down there?" Vulpix asked.

Down in the atmosphere

When the Arkos Air Force reached the volcanic plateau, an enemy fighter squadron was there to meet them. It was still only one squadron though, so they didn't present too much of a threat.

"Mission is proceeding well," Strike responded. "They were initially outnumbered four to one. Half of that remains, but we have yet to lose a plane."

As if he had tempted fate, an enemy missile struck one of Strike's wingmen. The pilot was able to eject, escaping the ball of flames and shrapnel, but it had still nullified Strike's last statement.

"Damn," Strike muttered, turning his plane around to fire his machine gun at the attacker. The bullets hit true, and the enemy plane went spiraling into the black volcanic fields below.

"There's still five more," he said to his wingmates. "Check your blind spots. If you see any, don't let them out of your sight."

Strike pulled his plane into an ascent, gaining over a kilometer in elevation within seconds. He then looked at his instruments, and at the skies below, until he spotted two enemy fighters approaching one of his formations from behind.

"Here we go," he said to himself, as he dove at them with the sun behind him. At just the right distance, he fired a hail of bullets and launched two missiles. The bullets were far from lethal to the enemy planes, but they slowed them down sufficiently for the missiles to hit their marks.

"Three left," he said over the radio.

"I see one," said Queen Rosa. She tried to line it up in her sights, following it as it twisted and turned through the air. She remembered what Strike said when he was training her. (Which he had to do, since on unpredictable occasions they would switch bodies) "A missile doesn't have to actually make contact to destroy a plane. It just has to be close enough. Sometimes you'll forget that, and miss a good shot because it wasn't perfect. Don't be fooled by irregular flying, you can still shoot them down."

"Close enough," she said, and pulled the trigger. Sure enough, the missile wasn't able to perfectly follow the enemy plane and exploded in the air without hitting, but the shockwave of the explosion still knocked it out of the air.

"I have another one," said Futtlescish, coming at the enemy fighter from below and shooting it down before it even knew he was there. Rosa was briefly jealous, but she remembered that he had much more experience. I'll get there eventually.

"The last plane has breached our perimeter," called out a random pilot. "They're heading for Jaunrrha!"

"What's the point, the capitol's just ruins now," said Strike. Still, he, Futtlescish, and Rosa pursued the last enemy fighter plane, each firing a missile at it. With three simultaneous explosions, there were no large pieces left.

"The skies are clear," Strike radioed to the fleet. "And so is the ground, the bombers took out all enemy ground forces."

"That's great," said Blue Whale King. "We're almost finished up here as well."

Dusted Romance and EnTAIre Team, both glowing with burning and molten craters all over their hulls, finally stopped firing back. When they tried to activate their remaining engines to retreat, the EnTAIre Team's reactor exploded, tearing it apart and destroying the engines of the other ship as well with the shrapnel. Before its orbit could decay and cause a devastating impact to the landscape below, the Protect and the Eliminate finished it off.

"We're all clear," said Blue Whale King. "Strike, make sure all friendly planes are at a safe distance. Vulpix, take the shot."

What a waste, those two ships belonged to us before the Catastrophe disabled the whole fleet except for the Protect and the Eliminate. I can't believe our enemies got them back online before we did.

Those looking at the viewscreens in the vast underground labyrinth that was Pyrrha is Still With Us saw a shadow cover the sun as the Eliminate moved into position. They clenched their fists, their palms growing sweaty. They could only hope that they were deep enough to survive.

Vulpix uncovered a panel and turned a key, which opened another panel with a large, black button. "Commence primary ignition," he told the firing crew. Inquisitor Stormzx's face lit up in a wicked grin. "AVE IMPERATOR!" he shouted.

"Authentication required," said an automated voice. It sounded like a voice that a redheaded android girl might have. "The Oligarchs must approve any firings at r/ArkosForever."

"What's this?" Vulpix asked over the radio.

"It's a failsafe," said Strike. "We knew it would be very unlikely that there would be a legitimate reason to fire our most powerful weapon at our own planet."

"And yet here we are," said Whale. "I, Blue Whale King, Oligarch of Arkos, approve this firing."

Strike hesitated for a split second, but he knew it was the only way. Still, he hated to do this. "I, Kyle Strike Blaster Freedom X2 D'Elise, Oligarch of Arkos, approve this firing."

"Authentication confirmed," said the automatic voice on the Eliminate. "You may fire when ready."

Vulpix nodded at the firing crew. They pulled various levers and switches, until the large black button glowed red. "Consider yourselves Eliminated," Vulpix said as he pushed the button.

Four streams of bright green energy pulsed out from the bow, angling inward to converge in a single beam. The insurrectionists in Pyrrha is Still With Us looked up in terror as the beam, carrying the energy of several hundred nuclear weapons, shot towards them at the speed of light.

The heretic base was over a mile deep, but it wasn't enough. As the beam struck the ground, it pierced the planet's crust, spewing magma into the atmosphere in a white hot display taller than the highest mountains. The whole planet shook from the force of the explosion. Molten rock rained down over fifty miles away from the blast site. Even after it had all fallen, a new volcano in that spot was there to stay.

As the various Arkosians watched the glow of the explosion slowly fade, a sudden, sickly yellow light caught their attention. It was coming from all of their screens.

"Bravo," said the voice of Generix, as he slow-clapped. "You finally got to use your new toy against us filthy heretics. Congratulations. Tell me though, is using such a weapon really a heroic thing to do? You'll be lucky if you haven't fucked up your planet's climate for the next decade or more.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. You claim to be the most wholesome ship nation, founded on peace and love, yet you are one of if not the most militaristic factions in this sector.

Even in my timeline, I remember what Arkos was like in the old days. Your military was nowhere near its modern size, but your economic prosperity and sociopolitical influence was nearly unrivalled. But when your time came, you refused to accept it, clinging to an era that had rightfully come to an end.

Now you put what resources you have into a bloated military budget in order to intimidate others and gain profit by collecting bounties on troublemakers like those who attack r/FNKI from r/CinderDidNothingWrong. The official Ship Wars contests aren't enough for you anymore. Your dozens of warships patrol not just your own space but nearly every route in this sector, attacking everything you perceive as heretical and demanding payment for it. Are you really earning Karma by protecting the innocent from the worshippers of Cinder and your other opponents and critics, or is it just a protection scam?

It matters little either way. Excessive militarization to bolster against waning socioeconomic and political power is the hallmark of a dying empire. Try as you might, it will not last forever. Today, it ends. No more will you be able to use brute force to silence your critics. The Nation of Arkos is going into the ash heap of history, where it will stay forever. Just watch."

Generix pushed a button on a device in his hand, setting off several explosives planted throughout Arkos of Erusea, demolishing some buildings and setting others on fire.

"NO!" shouted Strike, Vulpix, and Whale simultaneously.

"You have it all wrong," Strike said. "We only fight when necessary. The only reason our military is so large is because we have so many enemies. People like you who think that our major defeat in the past somehow makes us unworthy to live."

"What he said," Whale added. "Also, all forces return to Arkos of Erusea! All forces!"

"You'll pay for this, vermin!" Vulpix shouted.

"Your military might will be useless here, unless you want to destroy your own city along with us."

Thousands of Dust Alliance members were streaming out of the mountains to attack the nearly undefended city of Arkos of Erusea as the flames grew and Team SANS rushed back to defend it.

"All families, leave your homes!" shouted Numbers, as he walked through the streets with a flamethrower, "Or I'll burn you all alive!"

Some resisted, but in their surprised state, they were no match for the Asses to Ashes, Bust to Dust and Mechanical Might troops and were gunned down. The rest were separated, with the adults imprisoned or executed and the children taken off as slaves.

"Come to me, my love," said Tragic, her mech positioned at the entrance to the city. "STRIKEY WILL BE MINE!"

The 23 remaining planes of the Arkos Air Force rocketed towards Arkos of Erusea at Mach 5, hoping against hope that they would be able to stop the attack before it was too late.

At that speed, it didn't take long for the city to be in view again. But as they slowed down, a curtain of smoke rose up to block their view, trails from hundreds of missiles.

"Shit," said Strike. "They've hijacked the ground-based missile launchers. Destroy those missiles!"

The air force planes returned fire with everything they had. The key turned into a deadly fireworks show as they shot down dozens of missiles, but the missiles also took out many of the planes.

"Strike, LOOK OUT!" Futtlescish cried, as he moved to intercept a missile that was on Strike's tail. Unfortunately, in his altruism he failed to notice the missiles that were after him, and two hit his plane at once. He didn't have time to eject.

"FUTTLESCISH, NO!"

"We can mourn him later," said Rosa. "Right now we need to focus on survival!"

When the missiles were finally gone, only Strike and Rosa remained. Only two planes left against a new squadron taking off from the mountains.

"Oh shit…" they both sighed in unison. Everyone who heard knew things were bad, as it was unlike Rosa to swear.

They both put up a valiant fight, but Rosa was forced to eject, landing safely in a grove of trees. Strike fought on until he ran out of ammo, at which point the other planes stopped attacking him.

Why? What's going on now?

"I HAVE YOU NOW, STRIKEY!" Tragic exclaimed as she pointed a tractor beam at Strike's plane. Low on fuel as well, it was unable to resist being pulled into the ground. Strike tried to eject, but it didn't work for some reason. What a way to go…

As his fighter accelerated toward the city gates, he was that Arkos of Erusea was ablaze. A tear ran down his cheek as he gave one final order. "All forces, retreat to Miraculous Arkos. Defend that city to the last."

His plane hit the ground, knocking him unconscious. Tragic's mech ran to the site, with Ellubient Prism following after. The tech's arms tore open the cockpit, and lifted Strike out of his seat. Tragic opened the top of the mech, and reached out to stroke his face. "Mine at last," she said.

"Well done, Miss Solitude," said Ebullient Prism.

"That will soon be Mrs. Freedom," Tragic replied.

Back in space, more belated respone

"We have no choice," said Blue Whale King. "We must bring these ships back into the atmosphere if we are to defend Miraculous Arkos."

"It's terribly risky," said Vulpix. "The wind alone from such massive objects moving through the air is bound to cause damage."

"I know," said Whale. "But nothing compared to what those bastards will do if we don't stop them."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Move your ship to defend Miraculous Arkos. That is an order."

Vulpix sighed. "Yes, Admiral." He turned to the crew. "You heard him. Let's move."

The Eliminate moved into the atmosphere, with the Protect following behind.

"Generix, surrender now," said Blue Whale King, broadcasting on all frequencies. "We have lost much today, but we will still prevail. We have seen the end of Pyrrha is Still With Us, we will soon see the end of the Dust Alliance."

"Perhaps," Generix replied, "But our work here is nearly done. We will also see the end of Team SANS. Goodbye and good riddance."

With that, he pressed another button, and there was another blinding flash of light. When it faded, a fiery mushroom cloud was rising over the former spot of Miraculous Arkos.

"YOU MONSTER!" Whale and Vulpix shouted. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"

The Protect and Eliminate picked up speed, and opened fire on all Dust Alliance troops and vehicles they could see. The Eliminate moved over the mushroom cloud and started to land.

"I'll stop this, the only way I can," said Vulpix. "To make sure there are still people left to rebuild."

"Vulpix, no," said Whale. "A ship that big can't handle it!"

"Too late," said Vulpix. The Eliminate sagged and cracked as it landed on the ground, extinguishing the mushroom cloud. The 17 kilometer ship soon caught fire from the residual heat. Vulpix's survival was uncertain.

"Damn it," said Whale, bowing his head in despair.

Back on the ground

"It's time to get out of here," said Tragic, holding the unconscious Strike in her arms and looking up at the Protect looming in the sky.

"Agreed," said Prism.

A stealth transport flew low overhead, stopping at the Mechanical Might troops.

"Climb aboard" said Generix, opening a hatch. Metas and Numbers were also there, along with hundreds of chained slaves. Tragic's mech and the Mechanical Might troops boarded the transport.

Soon, they were flying into the portal back to r/RWBY.

Horrible, isn't it? But don't worry, the fun is just getting started!