First Interlude – James Ironwood (Conti.)

He focused on the screen again to see the White Whale flying on a collision course with the cliff Beacon was built upon. It sped towards it fearlessly, angling down sharply as it crossed over the river towards the towering cliff walls. Outside the limits of the city proper, its pursuers had already begun their attack, rounds hammering against its surface, and for an instant he wondered if they'd hit something, if the White Whale was falling—but no, the rounds didn't seem to do any meaningful damage.

The FMs in pursuit seemed as confused as he was, but continued the chase as the airship drew closer and closer to the cliff, most likely expecting a trick. But when the White Whale didn't pull up…

For a moment, he wondered if this was their goal, to cause damage to Beacon's foundations, to topple the Academy. With everything else they'd done, they couldn't assume anything. It was heavily reinforced in the case of natural or unnatural disaster, but maybe they knew something he didn't, had figured out a weakness they'd missed.

And yet, for all his concerns, Ozpin didn't so much as flinch, calmly watching the proceedings. As they drew closer, the pursuing ships ceased their fire and pulled up, evidentially realizing the White Whale wasn't going to stop. Was this an attempt to drag them down with him? Had they given up hope on escaping? Or, no, was this a—

At the very last second, the White Whale spun on its axis, momentarily exposing its belly to the sky as it pulled down so close to the cliff wall that for a moment Ironwood though they were touching. Instead, however, the ship pulled away into a wide loop facing the direction opposite the way it came and then up wide until it hung upside-down just barely above the cliff. It spun smoothly on its axis again, righting itself as it rose up behind the ships that had formerly been on its tail.

Now, however, they were in front of it, having chosen to go over the cliff instead of following to the rocks. The glow of its weapon systems was ominous, a reminder that the Hunters had become the hunted.

—A trick, he completed the though, staring at the maneuver. Even if the ship had been capable of withstanding the forces of the act itself, to fly that close to the wall…

"The students will be disappointed," Ozpin almost seemed to sigh. "Had he hit the cliff, I could have canceled tomorrow's classes."

He would have turned to stare at his friend if the White Whale had not opened fire, more of the strange rounds flashing out, even hitting ships. He saw shapes leap away, Hunters carrying pilots as the ships lost control and span down to earth. One smashed into the courtyard of the school and another into the grass, but a pair of ships smashed into one of the school buildings.

"Ah," He said, taking another sip of his drink. "Never mind, then."

Not for the first time, he wondered who had put his friend in charge of a school and what the hell they had been thinking at the time. Sure, his record of producing skilled Hunters was undeniable, but…

"How far out are reinforcements?" He demanded from his assistant instead of progressing further down that train of thought. Pine tapped quickly at his scroll, moving to a map like screen with a number of glowing dots.

"The group positioned at Forever Fall began to move in as soon as we confirmed the White Whale's trajectory," He said before hesitating for a moment. "They'll be in range shortly, but…none of them have any Hunters aboard, sir."

He knew what his assistant was saying, however much it grated—with the maneuvering capabilities the White Whale was displaying, with its unknown weaponry, and with the serious possibility that it had more tricks waiting up its sleeves, it was quite possible that aircraft alone would not be enough to take it down, even beyond the city limits. Their best chance, as before, was to get Hunters in position to infiltrate the White Whale and take it down from the inside. He could bring up the schematics, pick out all the places to target, and though he couldn't be certain of anything given the likely changes to the ship itself, he was pretty sure that he could tell them how to bring it down once they got into position.

But he didn't want to send them out there.

He didn't hate Hunters, not even remotely. Hell, he was a Hunter, had fought in countless battles to protect people and happily sacrificed parts of his own body for the sake of his duty. He respected everyone who shared that same courage, that will to put everything on the line for the sake of their people, their world. Anybody who went through the training and stood against the terrors that faced humanity was a hero.

But heroes tend to die. He'd seen it, in the War, in the line of duty—men, women, and even children at times, draw into the conflict when things got bad. He'd seen some of the greatest Hunters he'd ever known disappear without a trace, just leaving one day and never coming back. Sometimes, they'd been sent out on his order, dying to try and obey his commands. Sometimes he'd sent them out in full knowledge that they wouldn't return. He'd seen what he'd thought were the most brilliant lights in the world fade, one by one.

He'd watched as each year, the numbers of his former students dwindled. Class Reunions were rare among Hunter Academies for good reason; all they really did was show how many people had fallen. If he somehow got his own class back together, a group that would have once filled a lecture hall would now leave it all but empty.

That's the secret of being a Hunter—you swear to protect people even if it kills you and it does. That's why he'd dedicated his life to removing soldiers from the battlefield as much as possible, equipping them as best he could when that wasn't possible. Yet it seemed that no matter what he did, he always had to send people into the fight, to risk their lives.

Hunters were their best bet for taking down the White Whale, but there was no way of knowing what they'd find in there. They had no way of knowing who or what was inside that ship, but based on how the Schnee Heiress had seemingly been easily defeated and based on the skill the Faunus they'd let go had displayed…there was a chance, as ever, that whoever went in there would not come back out.

And, as ever, there was someone who had to make the decision.

"With your permission, I would like to request the aid of Beacon's faculty," He asked his friend, polite but tired. Ozpin tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"It will delay your ships somewhat," He warned.

He didn't reply, busy writing and sending off a message to the soldiers and teachers in question. They'd be ready, he knew, turning to keep watching the screen as the White Whale flew on, rising easily above the Beacon that was the academy's namesake and flying into the forests beyond. For a moment, it flew unmolested as its followers stopped briefly at Beacon, several small figures leaping up into the ships before they continued their pursuit, approaching the AS-WW at a steady pace as the minutes passed.

And then the stolen ship surprised him again by opening fire. Not with the strange wind-rounds it had used before, nor even at the ships closing it, but upon the forest below, carving paths of destruction with anti-Grimm weaponry.

Perhaps fittingly, the Grimm responded. They rose in a sudden, startled cloud, countless black shapes rising from the trees at the destruction and noise. Nevermore, Terror Birds, and other types of flying Grimm took to the skies as they were disturbed.

The White Whale simply flew right passed, moving quickly through the skies above. Some of the figures gave chase anyway, the largest and fastest species, but most turned their sights on the prey that was approaching, rather that which sought to run away, and moved as one to intercept the approaching aircraft.

The response was thankfully immediate, dust rounds firing from the ships, Hunters moving into position as best they could. Storm clouds even seemed to gather above the ships, growing as they flew into the dark mass and spitting thunder and hail upon the monsters. Black shapes fell from the sky, slain quickly by the spells and arms of Hunters. It was a testament to the power of Humanity's defenders that monsters fell by the dozens in seconds.

And it was utterly pointless. As the ships were distracted, the White Whale sailed on and by the time they dealt with the hindrance, it had gained precious ground. As they approached, the massive ship merely tore more Grim from the forest below, forcing those on its tail to waste time putting down the demons it had called up. When they got too close despite that, they drew the attention of the larger fell creatures of Grimm, such as the Giant Nevermore that had given chase. And each time, it got that much further away.

"Where is it going?" He demanded, gritting his teeth. "It must have a destination, but the way it's going—"

"It's flying over the mountains," Ozpin said easily, stating the obvious. The White Whale showed no sign of shifting its course away from the mountain peaks.

Except…

"But if it does that, it will—"

"If it does that, it will be beyond our grasp," Ozpin cut off. "Or at least beyond those chasing it. As escape routes go, its rather unorthodox, but the effectiveness in that regard would be undeniable."

The man sounded bizarrely like he was grading one of his student's tests. He could acknowledge the truth in the words, that beyond a certain point he would have to withdraw his men because it wouldn't be worth the risk, but…

"That's…that's like charging into a Deathstalker's den so the Beowolves will give up the chase," He replied. "You'd have to be desperate or insane to try that. What are they planning…?"

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