Operation Weserübung

An Atlesian member of the military was bored at his mediocre job. He sipped on his coffee, far away from his workplace with a designated area only allowed for drinking.

He finishes his break and goes back to his station, he was responsible for monitoring anything entering the airspace. Though almost nothing happens every day.

"Hey ever think there's more to life?" he asked his deskmate.

"Well, life is an abstract concept man. Do we ever think that we have someone viewing us from the outside and calling that life? Is life just an idea and not a physical manifestation? Are we then alive by that concept?"

"What? Dude, you're creeping me out. I meant if we are ever going to move on from this station. All the others get nice assignments like destroying a White Fang-operated base or killing Grimm, all we ever get is watching a monitor. Bro, what you just said made me wonder, are you okay?"

His deskmate started to think. "What does it mean to be okay?"

"Be serious. We'll never get promoted at this rate. It's not like anything happens around here."

His deskmate chuckles and answers normally. "Well don't you want that? A peaceful life? The citizens of Atlas would rather hear of clear skies than anything 'exciting' as you say."

"Dude, I know that but still, I'm getting bored out of my mind. When was the last time someone was arrested because of us?"

"Smuggler I think, about 5 years ago?" His desk mate recounted.

"Exactly, nothing ever happens here. How are we supposed to rise the ranks watching this monitor for our entire lives."

"Man, you've been here for just a week. You signed up for it remember?"

"I- shit, you got a point."

"Well, you can only pray that something happens, not like your complaining is going to change anything."

"When would someone even be so stupid enough to violate the airspace of the only country with a pseudo-military? Hah, I'll eat my socks if that ever happens-"

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

The two stared at each other before the deskmate wiggled his eyebrows. "-Oh."

"Bottoms up, I'll get the salt and pepper when you're ready to go with your words."

"Ignore what I said, maybe it's just a mistake or something." he started to look closely for details on the unknown aircraft. "It's... 8,000 m in the sky?!"

"What?! Check again are you sure that's real?"

"It's- It's rising! 9,000 m in the sky! How is this possible, I thought dust couldn't go so high in altitude since it weakens! It's still going up!"

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

The other computers begin to finally detect the unidentified aircraft. The entire room clamors at the situation.

"What's its speed?!" his deskmate panics.

"800 km/h! We need to alert the Ace-Ops- No, the entire military! Get Ironwood himself, we need to alert him about this, fast!"

"Is it even VTOL? We need our scientist to figure this out while we send out the Ace-Ops to investigate." his deskmate suggests.

"Investigate?! Investigate what?!- The dude that's flying it?! It's an aircraft moving beyond what we thought was theoretically possible! Get the armed bullheads!"

~

Torchwick stood up from the ground cratered by a good size. He dusted off his own uniform as he looks to the back to see the others.

"Shit, we missed our drop by an entire city. Guess that's what trying to jump out a jet gets you."

"What do we do now? Hanns told us we'd get 6 minutes."

"At least. He emphasized the 'at least' part, Ice Queen. Lunchbox will do his best to draw their attention it's up to us to do what's told."

Weiss nodded as Neo followed her. "C'mon, let's get to the Schnee headquarters." she turns to Neo. "-and please, don't kill anyone while we're there. We're supposed to be the good guys, understand?"

Neo nodded with a sly grin which did not calm Weiss down as it should've.

Torchwick started walking as he pointed to a building far off in the distance. "Right Blondie, we head to the Command Center and take control of everything inside. Easy enough for some like you to understand."

"Great, so are we going guns blazing?"

"No, we enter the complex quietly only go loud when we need to. If anything comes up make sure to refer to Lunchbox's calls. We have plans B to D but we're going to have to tread carefully. I don't want us being the joke of the century if I can help it, so make sure you get serious."

"Already am, just lead me to it and I'll punch everyone out with these new babies." Yang gestures to the equipment Ruby made them.

"I don't doubt Maniac and Red's ability to make tech but don't rely on it too much. Our Aura already took some damage when we landed and someone is bound to investigate the huge mess we have made so let's get a move on."

~

Way above the airspace...

Hanns was getting away from Atlas, using a jet bomber was a bit scary since switching vehicles mid-air was going to probably rip out a wing, or two... maybe the whole aircraft if he wasn't careful. Slowing down would be a requirement for him to not get ripped apart.

Interceptors were sent out, though despite the name that Atlas gave them they weren't exactly best suited for trying to chase something in the high atmosphere where bullheads and other aircraft from Remnant couldn't properly fly at.

Hanns didn't have that problem and was easily outranging them by a couple of thousand meters in the sky. His speed was also unparalleled, jets had the advantage over traditional dust.

But escape wasn't Hanns' priority; it was making sure Ironwood can pay attention to him and create panic, letting the others take Jacques.

'I think this is a good time.'

His frame broke apart from switching vehicles as he fell toward the ground before finishing his mid-air transformation, turning into a proper jet fighter. His fuel still remained, meaning he wasn't in combat.

His field of view was limited as a plane since the cockpit couldn't reach around the back but Hanns was fairly confident he could fight like the old days when he was back on Earth.

It was a tactic Hanns was fairly knowledgeable on, the Boom and Zoom.

Though for now it was reserved for the second phase, for now, he needed to shock and awe the populace. Why? Because it's something Ironwood could focus on.

Hanns turned around, the ear-ringing constant blasts of his jet engine roaring behind him. He started slow and accelerated to an eventual sound barrier-shattering speed.

Hanns heard the gunfire below him, Gatling guns tried reaching where he was but the bullet's momentum died as soon as it reaches a thousand meters.

The combination of dust weakening in the atmosphere and the altitude difference made their shots worthless.

'What are they even trying to chase me with?'

He climbed and climbed higher, he turned upside down to see the dozens of bullheads trying but failing to shoot him down from the altitude difference.

'It's so sad seeing them but I'll have to get their attention to take this seriously. Let's put a show for the citizens!'

Hanns turned off his jet engines and let gravity take hold of his acceleration he dove faster and faster while doing an Aileron Roll. Hanns hoped it wasn't too stressful for the wings.

Hanns then did the most war crime-worthy thing in his life in Remnant, one that even trumped his earlier gas bombings.

He used the aerobatic smoke.

The armed bullhead pilots looked on with fear in their eyes and a sense of death coming from their souls. They fired and kept firing yet their bullets could barely hit the small and speeding small aircraft.

Unexpectedly, they saw the plane speed right past them, not even firing upon them even though they were vulnerable. They turned to keep firing but Hanns was already heading back for Atlas.

One of the pilots takes the smarter approach by not chasing Hanns, "It's going for Atlas! Call up the Command Center and activate the turrets in the city! It's too fast for us!"

~

Back at Beacon…

Ironwood and Winter were seated inside a room, Ironwood rested his chin over his hands as he thought deeply. He was contemplating whether to intervene in the White Fang situation.

It was not public information yet but Ironwood was planning to take out the remnant of the thrice-reformed Fang. His semblance was in full swing, his actions were going to be hyper-focused on his goal of protecting Atlas at any cost.

"What do you think Specialist Schnee?"

"Sir? I believe I'm not qualified to comment on such a subject despite my rank."

Ironwood slammed a hand on the table. "That's not what I asked of you Specialist. There is a time for humility but that time is not now. So, again, what do you think?"

"I believe that restrained action should be our priority, it has shown that the person you said was inhabiting a machine was evolving. I believe our last operation has shown that it would be risky to go against it directly, likely causing so many casualties. The White Fang was reformed and reorganized by this individual, I believe staying vigilant but aggressive should be our policy."

Ironwood frowned. "So you're saying we should stand and wait? Wait until what? Atlas itself is in ruins before we act against it?"

"Sir - Hanns, as Headmaster Ozpin called him, has shown to be aggressive when we threatened him during our first encounter, he hasn't been hostile to anyone other than Grimm."

"Schnee, this again? I don't care if that thing is fighting Grimm independently. It either needs to be under our command or ripped apart for our scientists to study. Atlas needs obedient and disciplined soldiers to fight the Grimm not some machine that has a conscious."

"Sir, what of Penny Polendina then?"

"Ah that, you met with her before didn't you? That is different, she has a conscious but we have final command. No matter what action she may think she must do, I will have a final say."

"What do you mean? Isn't she supposed to be free thinking?"

"She is but I added an emergency override just in case."

"You can override her conscious? Did the Doctor say anything about his condition when making his daughter?"

"A little precaution dwarfs whatever free will the Doctor prescribes. I will prioritize the protection of Atlas over anything sentimental, Penny is a creation and we will use it as we see fit. I will proceed with going against whatever organization that thing will do."

"What about my sister?"

"Well now? That's odd, I don't remember you having a sister. The last time I checked, there was supposed to be an Atlesian that is good to her family, not one who was a traitor."

Winter felt her breath stop, Ironwood was suggesting something she didn't like. 'No, why? Is that really necessary?'

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

The table suddenly blared lights on as it activated to show a display popping in between Winter and Ironwood.

"Yes-" Ironwood tried to ask.

A panicked operator screamed out from the call. "Sir! It's an emergency! An unidentified aircraft has broken through our defenses and is heading around the city with some kind of smoke behind it!"

"What?! Send out bullheads to intercept it!"

"It's not good sir! Our defenses cannot keep up with its speed and our bullheads that we sent out couldn't get any closer to it! It keeps outranging us with the altitude!"

"Damn! Emergency; we need to get back immediately. Inform the fleet to pull out of Vale and head back to Atlas, we may be under attack."

Ironwood left his office, scroll in hand as he started giving out orders.

Winter, still shocked by the declaration that Weiss was now an enemy of the state made her worried. She was going to have to arrest her… or even worse.

'Weiss…'

She looked at her scroll with a picture of them as children on it. Her hand shook at the thought.

She saw Ironwood go out as the doors shut close with an audible hiss. She started to slacken her stance as she looks on with doubt.

'Is this all really necessary? Ironwood, is he… right? I'm not sure anymore. Weiss, I hope you're still okay.'