I woke up in the infirmary of the ship. My head felt like someone had tightened my helmet too far, but other than that, my aura had taken care of all of the damage I received in the fall. I looked around the room and found Copper sitting beside my bed. He was sleeping, and I almost considered not waking him. He looked peaceful as he laid there. He did not need to worry about keeping his fire in check.

However, I needed to get moving, I could not waste my time in the infirmary. Copper was woken by my movement. He moved to stop me as I raised myself up from the bed. "What is the time?" I asked as I got up from the bed. I was dressed in a hospital gown, my clothes draped over the chair Copper was sitting on. "It is around 1500 hundred hours sir." He answered after looking at his scroll. "Sir, you are in no position to be up and moving."

"We have no time to waste. As we speak the White Fang are running from Mountain Glenn." I answered as I pulled of the hospital gown and put on my black and blue attire we had bought in Vale. I opened the door out of the infirmary and powered through the ship. I quickly made my way to the General's office.

The door was closed, and as I moved up to knock on it I heard the voice of Ozpin erupting inside. "His actions yesterday once again proves it. He is too much like his grandfather." I stopped, were they talking about me? "He has proven his worth," General Ironwood answered. "You don't even know that he is related to Commander Early! As far as we know, Commander Early never had any children!"

I tried to force my hand onwards to knock on the door. But the mention of the name Early stopped me short.

"Last time the name Early stalked the lands of Remnant it represented the ideal Mantel." Ozpin answered. "It frightens me James, our current enemies are stronger than ever, we can't afford to be split at a time like this."

"He will help us win this war!" The General answered. "You said it yourself, Salem and her ilk are stronger than ever, we need someone with his skills again, something Corporal Early has proven he has."

"It smells fishy." Ozpin said as he refocused the conversation. "Nearly eighty years ago the commander left us without leaving a single heir, and now in an orphanage the of the Atlesian army a soldier has emerged sporting the same name as the deceased commander."

"If it can put you at ease I will contact the leader of the orphanage, maybe he can shed some light on the family relation of the Corporal."

"Thank you James. Now if you will excuse me, I have a festival to organize."

I stepped away from the door and let it open outwards into the hall. Ozpin stopped in his tracks when he saw me, but quickly shook it off and moved towards the exit of the ship. General Ironwood noticed me from his position at his table and motioned me inside.

"I reckon that you heard our conversation?" He asked me as I entered his office.

"Only the last part Sir." I answered.

"Do you have anything against me looking into your family?" He asked me.

"No sir, as a matter of fact, I would be delighted if you do, I know very little of my family."

"Very well." He answered as he pressed a couple of buttons on his terminal. "Now, what happened at the nightclub?"

I answered his question carefully, laying out every detail I noticed during our interrogation and the capture of Roman Torchwick.

"Great job soldier, we have been searching for Roman since he first appeared." The general said as an ending comment to my report. "Now Corporal, we know the area where the White Fang are holed up, how would you go about finding the base?"

"Sir I do not think I am qualified to make tactical decisions like that." I said.

"I have confidence in your abilities."

I began laying out a plan for the operation. "I would firstly get some maps of the area. Then I would mark out likely locations for their hideout. A commando squad would check out these locations and if they find the White Fang hideout they will call in the rest of the force and we will attack the hideout."

"Is your team ready for deployment?"

"I just got out of the infirmary, I have not had the time to check up on my team."

"Do so, and I will try to get some maps of Mountain Glenn." He dismissed me however I ignored his command.

"Sir, I am overstepping my position, but please tell me more of Bufford Early."

"The only thing I can tell you with your current security clearance is that he was the head of Armed Recon Mantel before it became Special Operatives."

I answered his words with a quick salute and left his office to find my team.

Penny was sitting in her bed with her scroll quietly reading the latest news. On the bunk above her Ciel slept of her dust hangover, she looked rather peaceful as she slept, showing more feelings than she would ever have done awake. While sleeping she probably did not need to worry about keeping her feelings in check. I sat down on my bunk. "Where is Copper?" I asked the robot.

"I do not know," Penny answered without putting down her scroll. "He has not returned."

As she answered the door to the sleeping hall opened and Copper walked in. He had taken a shower, revealed by his wet hair.

I gathered my team, Ciel woke up and groaned in pain. "Ciel when are you ready to move?" I asked as she raised herself up from her bunk.

"I will probably be ready tomorrow," She answered.

"Great, we have a new mission," I said as I began laying out the plan, "we know where the White Fang are hiding. The General is working on getting the us maps of Mountain Glenn so we do not go in blind."

"What about team RWBY," Penny asked, "They are also looking for the White Fang."

"The General wants this mission to be strictly military, we go in first to find the hideout and then we call in the support of the platoon on the ship."

"Yes Sir." Penny answered disappointedly.

Before I could continue a soldier walked in holding a folder containing the maps of Mountain Glenn. I grabbed the folder and scattered the pages among my team. "Mark any place you could imagine a White Fang base. Look for derelict warehouses, railways, anything that could give reason for a base to be there."

Copper browsed through his selection of papers, "What does 'level 1 mean?" He asked and brought attention to a set of numbers on his page.

"Two second," I said and looked at the first page of the file containing the introduction. After a quick read I found the answer. "Mountain Glenn is partly under the ground, due to trouble with Grimm the city moved down into caves below the city." I read from the paper. "However during building they dug into caves containing Grimm and they were forced to abandon the entire expansion."

When we finished looking through the maps we ended up with three locations, a warehouse in the outskirts, a train station in the lower city and a parking garage in the center of town.

"Great job guys, we are checking these locations out tomorrow." I said as I gathered the maps again. "We start in the edge of the expansion and move inwards towards the center."

"Understood Sir." It sounded from my team, where after we retired to our bunks.

I stood in the door of the dropship, looking over Mountain Glenn as it closed. It was a wasteland of concrete husk that stood as a monument to the ever growing threat of Grimm. We would land in some distance away from our first location in order not to alert the White Fang.

As we touched down I strapped on a backpack. The General had provided us with recon equipment. The equipment had been standard since the faunus revolution and was stocked with things intent on helping the user find hidden encampments. It contained the basic camping equipment like a tent, a sleeping bag and binoculars, but what took up most of the space in the bag was the homing beacon. The huge metal contraption that was used to call support in when a scout had found an enemy base. It broadcasted a strong signal so that an Atlesian ship could pick it up without needing to relay the signal through the CCT network. This came at a cost of transportability and battery life.

The warehouse revealed little activity as we closed in on it after being dropped down some distance away from it. With a hand movement I sent Penny up the side of the building. She used her blades as grappling hooks and easily scaled the walls of the warehouse.

After short while Penny dropped down. "It's empty." She said, her voice breaking the eerie silence that had surrounded us since we entered Mountain Glenn.

"Damn it," Copper exclaimed.

"We have only just started," I said as I brought up the map. "This way."

Our travels through Mountain Glenn went by rather uneventful. We traversed the concrete graveyard slowly, avoiding the open streets running directly through the expansion.

After what seemed like forever we finally made I to the second location. The parking garage dominated the surroundings, standing far above anything around it. As we closed I saw no sentries, and I already suspected that we would find another target empty. Before we moved closer to the building I stopped my team with a closed fist. A pair of White Fang ground walked towards the entrance to the parking garage.

My team did not utter a single sound as we watched them enter the parking garage. We continued forward, but as we looked into the ground floor of the garage they had disappeared from sight. I sent Penny up to look inside the upper floors of the garage, the operation continuing in silence.

Penny dropped down from the side of the garage, reporting with shake of her head that the garage was empty. I brought up the maps once more, where did the White Fang grunts disappear to?

A notation on the map revealed their location, a back door in the garage acted as an entrance to the underground caverns. My team looked at me in intense expectation.

"We need to find a different entrance. They probably have their main entrance guarded." I said and searched the map for another way down.

The map lead us to an back ally, but as we entered it we saw an Ursa sleeping before the entrance to the caves. Judging by the claw marks on the concrete walls in the sides this was its lair.

With a quick movement of my hand I ordered my team forward to dispatch the Grimm. Flames sprung from Copper's arms and Ciel readied a barrage of lightning. Copper sprinted forward, intent on catching it off guard. The beat of his shoes against the pavement waked the sleeping Grimm, but as it got up on its forepaws to deliver a crushing blow to Copper, Ciel launched her lightning at the monster.

The impact stunned the Grimm, allowing Copper time to move in and deliver a crushing blow to the center of its bone mask. The Ursa staggered and Penny sent forward her swords to pin it to the side of the building. This allowed Copper free reign of the humongous Grimm and he sent his flames coursing through the Ursa, reducing it to ashes and blackening its bone.

The Ursa died in a roar of pain and we quickly entered the caves to avoid eventual Grimm called to the location.

The caves were enormous, concrete husks of buildings dominated the caverns just like they had done on the surface. We entered the cavern on top of one of these concrete buildings.

"You could gather an army in here." I said as I took out a pair of binoculars from the recon pack.

I noticed the train tracks in the distance. With a compass and comparing it to the map I found that the tracks ran towards Vale city.

"Where do those tracks end?" Copper asked.

"They…" I started and looked down on the map. After some quick wondering I flipped over to the front page of the report. I skimmed the page and found the answer. "They run directly into the center of Vale!"

"Oh shit, thank god we came in time! They have a highway directly into the city!" Copper exclaimed.

"I cannot imagine the White Fang having enough manpower to do major damage before huntsmen arrive and put an end to their antics." Ciel added.

"No matter we are putting a stop to whatever they are planning." I said.

We moved through the underground city by Penny shooting out her wires and us zip-lining on them between the buildings. After some time traveling through the underground we made our way to the train station we had marked.

An armored train stood before a tunnel into the wall, the front of it was prepared like a bulldozer. White Fang grunts were loading the train with Atlesian bombs and Atlesian Paladins. A huge faunus carrying a chainsaw seemed to be directing the operation.

As I watched he was joined by two young people. One was tall, pale, had grey hair and was clad in a grey and black jacket, on his arms he had metal plating and he revealed no visible weapons. Together with him there was a girl with brown skin and green hair, she only wore a green and white bra, emphasizing her slender build. Her weapons were two pistols strapped to her back.

"Seems like we have some new faces down there," I said as I took a picture of them through the binoculars. "Copper set up a perimeter, I am calling in some support."

I placed the backpack down on the ground. After some fiddling with the buttons I managed to turn on the transmitter and connect my phone.

"We have a location." I compared our location to the maps. "Quadrant 4E, blow a hole in the intersection of the main road towards Vale and 34th street."

"Understood Sir." The soldier on the other side answered. "We'll be there in twenty minutes."

We moved down from the apartment building and sneaked closer to the train. Penny kept an eye out for sentries and dispatched the ones she saw by using her wires to strangle them. We managed to get in position in an apartment close to the train station. The young pair seems to have left, however the officer was still present. We had come close enough to hear him speak. "The humans have assured me that Roman's capture has not compromised our location." He bellowed.

I smiled as I looked down on the clock on my scroll, Roman's capture may have not but your friends forgot to tell you a small detail.

An explosion rocked the caverns, right above the train stones fell down and crushed any faunus caught in their way. I opened fire at the officer, taking a good chunk of his aura and forcing him to run for cover. Ciel sent out a torrent of lightning, decimating groups of grunts. Copper and Penny jumped down from the apartment as they served better at close range.

White Fang personnel began flooding out of the train. However, the battlefield was quickly equalized as cutting edge Atlesian knights were dropped from the hole in the roof of the cavern, their control and precision easily dismantling the rabble that was the White Fang and denying them access to the paladins stored on the train.

Caught unaware and clearly not ready for the attack, pockets of White Fang grunts quickly surrendered to the attack, ensuring our victory even before the Atlesian soldiers descended into the caverns.

The hole created was not big enough for a dropship to enter through so the soldiers made their way down into the caverns through the parking garage. The General spearheaded the soldiers, he arrived shortly before Copper and Penny attacked the last group of faunus terrorists. The officer had gathered his elite and had barricaded himself inside the locomotive and they had begun preparing the locomotive to run away into Vale. Copper stopped this idea by sending a ball of blue fire at the train engine.

The explosion rocked the cavern prompting even more rocks to fall from the roof of the cavern. General Ironwood stepped forward to the crumpled locomotive. "Banesaw! We have you surrounded, surrender!" He bellowed at the last pocket of resistance.

"I will never surrender to humans, let us leave and I will spare your pesky troops." The angry voice of the lieutenant sounded from the wreckage.

The General looked up at me and made a quick motion towards the locomotive with his hand. I relayed his order to Ciel and she sent forward a bolt of lightning at the locomotive.

As the bolt struck, Copper charged forward to put down the Faunus resistance. I began descending down from my vantage point to meet up with the General as flames erupted from the locomotive.

Copper emerged a little singed, holding the White Fang Lieutenant by the scruff whom he threw down in front of the general, presenting his catch.

"Great job soldier." General Ironwood said, "CCCP has proven themselves once more."

"Sir, I have reason to believe that we have not found the head of the snake yet." I said as I neared the General.

"Why is that Corporal?" He said as he turned towards me, leaving the other soldiers to restrain the faunus.

"Before our attack two young ones talked to the lieutenant, and we have not uncovered the ones who I saw in the bullhead."

"Correct, I will take care of the interrogation of the White Fang, but do not expect much, the White Fang has always been fiercely loyal to their cause."

I returned a quick salute and left the General to survey the state of my team. Ciel had joined us from the apartment while I was talking to the General, Penny was messing around with one of the paladins on the train and Copper was assisting the soldiers in finding the last of faunus resistance.

"What now sir?" Ciel asked me.

"I want to look into the camp," I answered, as I began pacing towards the buildings that had contained the faunus soldiers.

The lower floor of the apartment was filled with bunks stacked so close that they reminded me of a morgue. The space between them a little less than my forearm.

"I wonder how they can accept these conditions considering they are fighting for the rights of their race." Ciel said as she tried to get inside on of the small alcoves.

"Depending on where they are from I cannot imagine them ever having experienced better." I answered as I moved between the rows, looking between the bunks for any personal effects. As I walked past one of the bunks in the back of the room I saw a small teddy bear. I pulled it out and examined it closer. It was patched together by numerus patches of clothing and the eyes were two cross stiches. I took the bear with me as I made my way to the second floor. Here I found what I was really searching for, the officers quarter.

The quarters consisted of a couple of rooms with individual beds. Two of the rooms were completely empty, while the others had clearly been in use. The one I assumed was Roman's had everything I imagined the extravagant thief would want. A king sized bed dominated the center of the room, and a huge wardrobe and mirror testified to the vanity of the criminal. I searched the makeup desk before the mirror but found nothing, not even makeup telling me that someone had cleared the room.

After looking below the bed I moved into the last quarter. This one looked like it had been in use recently, the bed was a mess and the desk was covered in weapon parts. Hidden among the weapons there was an unfinished letter. I picked up the paper, and a picture dropped down on the floor from it.

"Everything is going according to plan," I read of the letter, written in a gentle hand, "The humans have supplied the weapons and the paladins, upholding their end of the bargain." I quickly skimmed the inventory list, I would have to double check the amount however nothing was not something we had already seen in during our assault.

I continued to read the letter. "We have found your former girlfriend. She has joined a team at Beacon, I have attached a picture of her." I bowed down to the picture, revealing Blake running away from the paladin we took down after our visit to the night club.

Before I could put away the picture I heard movement behind me. I quickly turned and managed to redirect a shiv pointed at my neck. A female dog faunus had climbed out from under the bed and was trying to take my life. I delivered a kick to her face, pushing her away from me and giving me time to get up from my kneeling positon. In one smooth motion I delivered a crushing blow to the face of the faunus, sprawling her out on the floor.

I grabbed the picture and the letter before she could create any form of coherent thought from her rattled brain. The faunus managed to get a short sound of protest of as I restrained her and dragged her out of the building. The soldiers were locking the faunus together as I stepped out of the building. After delivering her to the soldiers I walked over to Copper whom had returned from assisting the soldiers and was drinking a bottle of water.

"Anything of interest?" He asked me after downing his bottle of water.

"A faunus tried to kill me with a shiv, and I found some intel on the leader of the White Fang." I deadpanned.

"So a pretty normal day," He answered in a similar tone.

I grinned at his apathy, and as we stood there waiting for the rest of the team to gather. Ciel quickly joined us as she had surveyed the camp, finding nothing of importance. Penny and the General arrived last, they had apparently cannibalized some of the paladins acquired by the White Fang and were carrying a shoulder mounted rocket launchers.

"Penny? Why do we need a rocket launcher?" I asked her.

"Ruby said she wanted one!" She answered and patted it on the side.

"Are we really giving out military tech for free?"

"The rocket launchers on these things are not a protected secret, what makes the paladin unique is the control system." General Ironwood answered. "Designed by Polendina himself it helps the user by taking care of all the minor actions."

"My dad is the best." Penny said, beaming as General Ironwood told of the scientist's achievements.

We left the caverns, the soldiers escorted the chained up faunus to through the entrance in the parking garage. Where transport planes belonging to Vale police department transported them into the city. The police chief had arrived with them and he was fuming with anger. He walked up to the General as soon as he emerged from the parking garage.

"I will not allow some Atlesian General to come to Vale and play world police." He yelled into the face of the General. "You have no jurisdiction here."

The General began walking towards the Atlesian warship as he answered the Chief. "This was a mission concerning the safety of all of Remnant, and you will compromise that safety if you continue to interfere."

"Ozpin will hear of this." The Chief answered angrily.

"Tell him that this was a mission well done." The General answered as we stepped with him into the warship, leaving the police chief.

The Atlesian knights had emerged from the caves and attached themselves to their holsters on the underbelly of the ship while the high priority prisoners were transported into the on ship brig. Among those were Lieutenant Banesaw and surprisingly the faunus that had tried to stab me.

My team retired to our sleeping quarters, everyone exhausted after a day in the field. Penny grabbed her scroll to send a message to Ruby of he, while I used my scroll to compile a file on the red hooded girl's team.

"Penny, what can you tell me about Ruby?" I asked the robot.

"She is 15 years old, hails from Patch, and she is the sister of Yang." She answered immediately, "Why do you ask sir?"

"Your friends seem very little like normal students, and I think getting to know more about them will be beneficial for our team since we will be facing them in the tournament."

"Sir they are my friends!" she pleaded. "Why do we have to treat them like enemies?"

"Not enemies, competitors, the Vytal tournament is a place for the best of the best, not preparing appropriately is an offence against their skill."

She conceded and began explaining their team dynamics. Everything from their favorite food to their team attacks. I noted everything down, ensuring that we would always be a steep ahead if we ever faced team RWBY.

After completing a file on each person in team RWBY I stashed my scroll and went to bed, ending our day.