RWBY: Relcaimer

Chapter 4: The Noblemen

1340 HOURS, AUGUST 7, 2557 (MILITARY CALLENDER) / OUM SYSTEM, FOREVER FALL FOREST, EN ROUTE TO SUMIRE, 80 MILES FROM NEW QUEZON, PLANET REMNANT (TWO HOURS FIVE MINUTES AGO)

The sounds of engines filled his ears as he remained seated within the center of the narrow UH-244 Falcon. The aircraft flew like a Pelican despite having the history of being a multi-purpose helicopter before the Battle for Earth in 2552.

SPARTAN-A259, Carter, checked his Mission Clock: 12:41:00. The Falcons flew into the air, above the red-leaf forest, revealing the former Dust mining town of Sumire, where there was a suspected Insurgent bomb-shop.

Before the Falcon pilots winked the green acknowledgement light to signify they were ready, Carter and the other five members of Noble Team slid magazines into their weapons, pulled charging handles, and switched their weapons' safeties off.

The Falcon lifted its nose and descended onto the ground. The six-man team got off their respective Troop Transports and made a sprint for the former Dust mining town.

Ever since Dust was made obsolete by UNSC standards—mostly due to the fact that it can only be deployed on Remnant and nowhere else—mining towns like Sumire, along with many businesses, were either shut down or, in Sumire's case, struggling to make ends meet. Nobody would put it past the locals or Insurgents to make a bomb-shop within the seemingly abandoned town.

They went past the chain link fence, through the crates within the parking lot in front of what appeared to be a run down Dust Refueling Station—a building that serves the same purpose as a Gas Station.

By the time they had reached the door, two minutes had passed. Carter, Rosenda-A344, and Emile-A239 stacked up in the front door. Cal-141, Catherine "Kat" -B320, and Thom-A293 went around the back of the building.

Carter winked two green lights to Kat before kicking the door down. The door flew off its hinges and hit one of the Rebels on the other end of the room, causing blood to splatter against the wall and dropping an old AA23-Automatic Pistol—an old weapon made by the, now defunct, Atlesian Armories in 2499, twenty-six years before SPARTAN-034 first arrived on Remnant.

Everything moved in slow motion, "Spartan Time" as Kelly-087 called it.

An unarmed Insurgent pulled a detonator from his coat. Carter turned to the Insurgent and fired three coughs from his M395 designated marksman rifle. The bullets hit their mark, the "Innies"—a slang used by the UNSC in reference to Insurgents—arms flailed in the air, dropping the detonator, and falling onto the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Numerous coughs sounded in bursts from the suppressed MA5D and M7S submachine gun used by Rosenda and Emile.

Carter winked a green acknowledgement light to the rest of Noble Team, a few seconds later, five acknowledgement lights winked back.

The door to the right opened, revealing Kat as she walked into the room with a suppressed assault rifle in hand. She took out a small palm-size wedge of black plastic pierced by holes of microscopic size. This was the tactical version of an ARGUS device: a portable laser spectrometer used to detect traces of explosive chemical compounds, or in this case—and to their luck—Dust.

Dust—unlike regular explosive compounds—is easy to find, mostly due to its unique signature. If the Innies had tried to mix the Dust with another chemical compound, good chances are that they would've blown this facility sky-high.

"ARGUS is on station." Carter spoke through the COMM to the Tactical Operations Center aboard the UNSC service, repair, and refit station Anchor 9 in high orbit above Remnant.

"Understood, Noble-One. Sending ARGUS drones to track any Dust residue outside the DRS." Colonel Urban Holland, the Commanding Officer of Special Warfare Group Three.

The ARGUS ticked as Kat searched through the tables, boxes, car tires, even the restrooms.

During Operation: TREBUCHET, Insurgents had mixed the explosive compounds in non-reactive substances, such as car tires, bars of soap, practically anything they can get their hands on that didn't trigger an explosion.

When Kat moved the ARGUS over a few 12-packs of beer. The device ticked rapidly: the Dust was in there.

"We found the Dust." Carter said through COMM.

"Understood. We found Dust residue leaving the DRS," Holland replied.

"-Four, Five, keep the place secured. Everyone else, get to the Falcons, NOW!" Carter ordered.

The four Spartans sprinted out of the DRS and made it towards the two Falcons outside of the building, Jorge-052 got off one of the Falcons, holding his M247H machine gun.

"One trail is en route to Beacon Academy through Sector 5." Holland continued, "Another leads to the Valean docks in Sector 6."

The Spartans got in the Falcons central troop bay. The Falcon's engines left scorch marks on the ground as it ascended into the sky.

"Charlie-Two, drop SPARTAN-A344 and -B320 to the docks." Carter ordered over TEAMCOM, "Charlie-One, take us to Sector 5."

———

Carter repelled down the rope attached onto the left side of the Falcons troop bay. Once his feet hit the ground, he and Thom made their way towards the HC1500 Tractor Unit waiting for the traffic light to turn green. The ARGUS drone detected a heavy amount of Dust residue emanating from the Unit's trailer.

He ignored the civilians either staring at him or running, seemingly knowing that something bad was going to happen. The two civilian cars in the front drove away on the left and right parts of the intersection while the rest either went behind their cars or ran into the nearby buildings for cover.

When he neared the driver's seat, he ripped the door off the truck's frame and aimed his DMR at the driver's bald head. Luckily, there were no passengers.

"Don't do anything stupid." Carter growled, his finger on the trigger, ready to squeeze.

The driver, knowing better, lifted his arms from the steering wheel and didn't try to go for a detonator presumably in his leather jacket.

"Out." Carter ordered, the driver complied and got out of the vehicle, "on your knees and hands behind your head." The driver, yet again, complied, doing as Carter instructed. "-Six, are the explosives accounted for?"

A green status light winked on Carter's display.

"-Two?"

"Situation is under control, Commander." Kat spoke through TEAMCOM.

Carter let out a sigh of relief. The mission was a success and there were no military or civilian casualties. A rare victory not just for the UNSC but for Carter and Noble Team.

"Noble-Actual, this is Noble-One: trucks secured. No civilian or military casualties."

"Good work, Noble-One. Return to Bravo Base, ONI operatives are on their way for transfer."