Chapter 2

1466 ADD, 18 years post-Earth Invasion

The firefight last night did not go unnoticed by many. Of course the Atlesian Sergeant immediately sent word to General Ironwood about the situation, to which Ironwoods response was to recommend the complete shutdown of that entire street to set up checkpoints and other security measures. It took words from Ozpin himself to remind Ironwood that he was in Vale. He had no say over the security of the city or its people. That was left to the Valeian Militia. The 'Army' of Vale that was commanded by the Vale Council.

Ironwood understood the position he was in, and the Vale Council could ask him to oversee the operation if they wanted him to, but he was still livid that the Earthlings managed to make it to Remnant. To him, he thought it impossible. Inconceivable.

"I'm not asking for much Oz, but we need to ready the city in case they choose to come back." Ironwood said. Ozpin sighed and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't a wink of sleep since last night and he had grown tired of both James's consistent request of stationing Atlesian Soldiers in Vale, as well as the lack of sleep.

"I understand your request James, but things aren't at that stage yet. Vale has its scientists studying the paranormal residue that the Anomaly left behind. They're testing the statistics to see if they truly have built a Dimensional Rift." Ozpin said. The Dimensional Rift was the technology used to travel to Earth in the first place. Originally it was supposed to be used to transport people across Remnant instantaneously. This would no longer require traveling through Grimm and Bandit controlled territories. However the testing stages of the Rift were used as if it was a window. They found earth through this window and saw how advanced and large the Earthlings society was. It was even discovered that they to were testing Dimensional theory's themselves to which frightened those in Atlas, as most things that over power them do, so they put forth the petition to launch the invasion. After all, if anyone had that kind of largeness to their world they would have to have invaded and conquered others to gain that power, and there for are an evil that must be delt with.

"Its quite obvious that they have a Rift Ozpin, and they found Remnant. This should be more concerning to you, so why aren't you?" James asked. Again Ozpin sighed and sat back in his chair.

"I am concerned James. I was there, in the trenches, same as you were. The horrors that we saw and things we did were worse than anything done during the Great War. The things the Earthlings were capable of were beyond our expectations. But yet we're here, and their not. Atlas made sure that the Earthlings would never threaten Remnant and that has been assured for nearly two decades. I'm just reveling in the promise made by your previous commanding officers." Ozpin said. James gave a sigh of his own and sat down in the chair opposite Ozpin.

"You know that wasn't what most of us wanted to do. We didn't want to set the Grimm upon them. We didn't even want to annihilate them, we wanted to destroy their capability to create a Dimensional Rift." James said.

"I know. But the Grimm were released anyway and who knows how many of their kind died in the decisions of Atlas Leadership." Ozpin stated. Yes the leaders of Atlas were so worried that the Earthlings would counter their invasion with one of their own that they commanded the Grimm be unleashed into Earth. That way the Earthlings would never threaten Remnant again.

"You make it sound like I gave the order." James said.

"I apologize if it seems that way James, but you must remember that the decision to send the Grimm to Earth was a massive controversial topic. We fight these creatures of darkness so future generations wont have to, yet we condemn another people, who know nothing of the demons we face, to suffer and die from the same horror that we, as Huntsmen, swore to vanquish." Ozpin explained. James knew his words true. Large amounts of protest came from people all over the world at Atlas's decision. It wasn't that Atlas wanted to, but they felt compelled to by the large state of Earths population and military forces.

"What of our Dimensional Rift? Is it still locked in place?" James asked. The Rift used by the people of Remnant, first made to launch the invasion, was placed under strict quarantine. Only a handful of individuals were selected to even enter the building it was in. Ozpin was one of them. due to his position of Beacon Headmaster, the most prominent Huntsman Academy, he was given the privilege of the Rifts were abouts. James was not. He was but a Colonel back when the war ended, and he didn't even know anything about the Rift until his seventh year as General. One would think that the list of individuals would expand upon changes but no changes to the list would ever be made. Originally Thirteen people were the ones who could know where the Rift was stored. After several years, that number never changed but the people on the list still alive to utilize their privilege dwindled to six.

"The Rift is still locked away. We ordered one of us to see to it since last night. Precautions are being made James. I know the brutality that Atlas went through during the war, you got the worst of it, but the rest of us are still capable of protecting our boarders." Ozpin said. James sighed and leaned back into his chair.

"I sure hope so Oz. I hope so." He said.

The sky looked barren. The ground matched its black and brown color. The sky hadn't been its natural blue in over a decade. The ground, not a shred of green from times before. Brown rocks across the miles and miles of land as far as the eye could see. The only places that could have such hope were small islands far into the vast seas. However those large bodies of blue water had long since gone from the beaming blue oceans to dark black bodies of corrosive liquids capable of melting the skin and muscle right of the bone. The world, once prominent with life of all kinds, was now a barren desolate world of death.

Moving across the ground, its snout sniffing away, a lone creature black fur, red eyes, and adorned with bone like armor traversed the grounds. Looking and sniffing for any sign of something to eat. Its stomach shrinking upon itself for weeks. Its last meal months ago. Now it wonders in hopes that it would find anything to satisfy its insatiable hunger. A gleam in the distance caught its eye. While the sky had no light from the large star, the light fought its way through the dark clouds of smug and muck to give off a reflective gleam. It was a pretty gleam, until the impact struck the head of the creature. Its head caving in on itself and its body flying backwards as it was crushed.

Thousands of feet away stood a tall figure. In his hands were a long-barreled rifle, a scope on top. The man stood on a large metal wall, his body adorned with old, dusty, and degrading clothes. His face, minus his eyes, hidden behind a mask with his breathing metallic and harsh. Next to him stood another man, wearing the same clothing and mask, as if in uniform, handling another rifle. Behind them, inside the wall, were many more individuals just like them. Old and rotten clothing, dirty and tattered, clutching weapons of various designs, working on old vehicles or large groups lined up marching to another area of the walled settlement. Other figures in no armor and holding no weapons moved around the settlement, some wearing masks and others not. The tattered clothing was not sufficient to supply warmth needed to most of the people, what with the sun behind the clouds of smug and muck. One man lay on the floor huddled into himself trying to stay warm, another had his arms wrapped around two young children trying to keep them warm. A third man lay in the streets, his breath and life long since expelled from his body. A woman holds a bowl filled with grey mush as she uses a wooden spoon to scoop up what she could get from eat bit.

Across from the active area sits a partially destroyed building, men sitting outside, weapons in hand, seemingly being the guards of the building yet there was no sign of importance to the job. A body of a man, nearly naked, strung from his neck by a post several feet away, the figure of a crying woman below the hanging body gave off an unhelpful ease to the guards.

Inside the building sat multiple people, all wearing various forms of either armor or degraded clothing. All of which were watching the footage captured from the cameras hooked onto the men of their expedition through the Portal. The feelings of most inside the room were that of anger and rage. They saw how the soldiers attacked their men unprovoked. Worse was that the footage showing the older gentleman was one of those Huntsmen. In fact a few recognized the man. he was one of the leaders that led several attacks on them during the war. It was now known. They had found the home world of the invaders from almost twenty years ago. The rising hostility was only going to fuel the fires for another expedition to be sent. To find a place where they could set up operations for the event they had been waiting for a long time. Operation Colonize. This would be either the greatest migration, or greatest extermination in Earthling history.