Destiny No More

Chapter 72

They left Atlas early the next day, a small fleet leaving to conduct a "training exercise" somewhere off the southern coast. That was the official story, although everyone who was actually onboard the ships had already been briefed on what the actual mission was shortly after departure. The fact that this small fleet was likely large enough to level an entire city didn't seem to matter. A single battleship, not even Ironwood's personal flagship, but instead one of the older ones, and two cruisers to protect it. The plan seemed simple enough to Pyrrha when they had explained it the night before, but as she sat through the brief they gave, she couldn't help but feel worried.

"The White Fang have established themselves in an old Great War fortress on the southern border of Vacuo." Pyrrha didn't recognize the man giving the brief, though General Ironwood was standing only a few feet behind him. He had introduced himself as some kind of analyst from an organization she didn't recognize the name of. He gestured towards the digital map that had been projected for their benefit. "Fort Malik is our target. Downsized after the war, the Vacuoan military abandoned it entirely nearly six decades ago just before their dissolution."

Dissolution? Pyrrha hadn't even been aware that Vacuo had a military at one point, aside from its contributions during the Great War. It hadn't been something they talked about in Dr. Ooblecks class, surprisingly enough, although perhaps that was a topic for later years.

"It's been relatively quiet until recently, but even then the inhabitants have kept a low profile." The projection changed to show a number of camera angles that had been taken from above. "We believe the White Fang is using this as a storage and supply hub as they shuffle arms, ammunition and recruits in between Vale and Vacuo. We aren't certain how long they have been established here, but they have a formidable hold and well built defenses." The images shifted once more to show some kind of court yard, but other than that, she couldn't tell what it was meant to show them. "As you can see, they have air defenses centered in the compound, and every other tower. With that our drop ships can't get close enough without extensive bombardment."

The General finally stepped forward, the analyst stepping away as the projection changed to a map of the general area. The Fort was still visible, but now they were able to see the surrounding terrain. It had been constructed on the coast, the walls actually going around a small inlet of the water. It looked strong, but Pyrrha didn't know the first thing about military bases, let alone what made them well positioned. There were several smaller islands off of the coast that couldn't have been much larger than the ships they were currently on.

"Specialist fireteams will drop under cover of darkness and head out ahead of the fleet, maintaining visible cover behind these islands." General Ironwood gestured towards the small dots out towards the sea. "It's unlikely that they have established radar systems, but in the event they do, pilots have been ordered to keep as low as possible. If they don't, the islands will block anyone from spotting you until our fleet is in position." Three blue triangles appeared north of the Fort. "Once in position, our battleship will begin bombardment of their entrenched positions along the wall, drawing out their defenders and limiting their ability to respond. Once the bombardment is underway, the Specialists will move into the Fort from the south-east and eliminate the defenses along the southern and eastern walls. Once those defenses are down, we will deploy ground troops and secure the compound."

Pyrrha again listened in silence, having little to add. In truth, she wasn't sure why she was there. Winter and Qrow were sat beside her, and she could see the familiar red colors of a Specialist on a few others there, but she felt wholly unqualified to be in that room. No one asked any questions, though again she didn't know if that was normal or not, and the General nodded.