Dust and Radiation (RWBY Fanfic)

Chapter 7: The Decision

Fort Elysium, Dragon Continent.

It was dark when the convoy had reached the base. The base itself was illuminated by hundreds of lights and flashlights. The large convoy entered past both the wire and barricade perimeters before turning towards the warehouse areas.

The warehouses were built larger than normal hangers and were usually filled with the goods and supplies being used by the growing base. Captain Kunz saw how things were now different as his jeep pulled in front of one closer to the airfield where already villagers were being offloaded. He saw men atop crates with megaphones giving instructions to the villagers while dozens of medics ran back and forth in the dim lighting. The medics were doing quick searches of villagers to ensure none more were wounded, while the handful of soldiers who were wounded were quickly being led to the hospital by their squad mates.

Kunz parked the jeep and turned it off. Stepping out he saw soldiers herding the villagers and Fang members into a few of the warehouses. Inside there were rows of bunk beds that had been constructed quickly in the recent hours after the warehouse had been cleared.

Kunz was happy to see someone had realized that the villagers were probably going to be here for some time and made some preparations in the time it took for the convoy to arrive. He turned back to the jeep and grabbed his rifle and gear. He then moved along the line of vehicles and checked on his men and did a headcount.

7 injuries with only 2 serious was a good outcome for them considering what they drove into. He didn't know how many of the villagers were wounded or dead, but hopefully not many. He may not know these people, but he had seen far too many towns and cities burn after the burning night. While people dying wasn't unusual, he'd rather it not happen unless necessary. They had stuck their neck out this day, but he felt it was right. If they hadn't then who knows how many of these people would be alive to see another sunrise.

Kunz's thoughts were interrupted as a sergeant called to him. He was needed in the command center for the debrief. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and headed that way. Wondering what this day might lead to.

Fully unaware of a group of eyes following him as he walked.

Fort Elysium 9 hours later

The following morning General Bazarain was sitting in his office smoking a large cigar while staring at the man before him. He sat up in his chair and started glaring fiercely at him as he pulled the cigar from his mouth.

The room was not small but the smoke from the cigar had made it almost stuffy. The man sitting in front of Bazarain's desk was relaxed with a calm face. His uniform was that of a Colonel with blue labels and a symbol of a shield with two long daggers crossing it in a X on his shoulders. While Bazarain had graying hair and a growing beer gut, the Colonel had a thin form and dark brown hair.

"Vladimir Ivanovich Lebechev, you cannot be serious. I will not order my men to lock up those people, let alone shoot them after we went through the effort of saving them. This is not the old Soviet Union, we cannot just lock up or kill anyone on a whim."

Colonel Lebechev responded with an easy and sweet voice. Like he was trying to convince a nun that there was nothing wrong with losing one's virginity before marriage. The General's glare not affecting him at all.

"Comrade General, there is a serious security and intelligence issue that must be addressed. We cannot just simply let these people go and tell everyone else in this world about us and our capabilities before we understand this world. We are still mostly new to this world and even what we learn from these villagers will be minimal. Even with guards and restricting them to the warehouses, they will know we are a military force. They may not know our numbers, resources, or exact location. They will know we aren't anything they know of. They will know we are in this region. They will know we have capabilities to deal with the nightmares and have the resources to field heavy weaponry."

Lebechev pulled out a small box from his pocket and grabbed a cigarette from inside before returning it to his pocket. He lit it with a match and continued speaking after taking a drag.

"If we drop them all off at this port, they will either knowingly or unknowingly spread rumors of us. There will be a chance someone of power will investigate and find us. Us being discovered by the powers of this world before we can fully secure a foothold at this stage will leave us at the disadvantage. It may even threaten our future plans greatly if they figure out what we plan for this world. We must limit the chances of them talking to others. Asking them to keep silent will arouse their interest, they will wonder why. Killing them or at least locking them up will keep our presence secret and remove the threat for the time being."

Bazarain took a drag from his cigar and his glare didn't soften.

"People will ask questions about what happened to the village. Someone may escape our watch and if they return to their civilization we will be in a worse position."

"There is another option."

"And that is?"

Lebechev stood up and went to the window at the side of the room. Taking another drag from his cigarette.

"We insert our people with the refugees. They will be tasked with investigating their homelands and gathering intelligence. We will also aid and incite chaos among this world when the opportunity arises. If the powers of this world are too busy dealing with chaos and other issues, they will pay less attention to us and this continent."

Bazarain took a drag from his cigar and softened his glare.

"And who will these trusted men be?"

Lebechev looked back at the General and smiled slightly. He knew he had found an opening and was going to use it.

"Since high command can not spare any operatives at this time. I will use both some of my men and borrow a few from Colonel Bannon. I have already questioned a few of these 'White Fang' and found a promising tool we can use to our advantage."

"And that is?"

"Division my good General. The powers of this world and their societies seem to have them divided and even a large section of their population is being segregated and looked down upon. With the right support and guidance, we can turn this White Fang into a tool and cover for our future operations."

"And how will we know they will stay on our leash? Can we truly trust them to carry out our orders and wishes?"

Colonel Lebechev chuckled ominously and looked out the window at Captain Kunz talking with Sienna and Adam by the entrance to a warehouse in the distance.

"I can guarantee they will be most cooperative. That is another reason I will need to borrow some of Bannon's men."

Bazarain looked at Lebechev and then at the map pinned to the opposite wall. It was one of the maps the soldiers had secured from the village before they left. It showed a rough overview of the new world.

Bazarain hated Lebechev and the man's past with the KGB only fueled it more. He had wanted to get rid of him, but the man had relatives high up in the Federation leadership. So he was stuck with him as his security and intelligence officer. The fact he was good at his job and knew what he was doing were more reasons he listened to the man.

He took another drag from his cigar and sighed.

"Very well. See to it while preparations are being done for the transport of the refugees tomorrow."