[---Chapter 2.3---]
My VTOL skims through the sky fairly high in the air. The engine sounds muffled by my suit's audio system. The craft is nearly thrice as fast as my scouting drone. Mostly due to the small size of the drone than raw speed of the VTOL. Still I've flown for more than two days now, and have at least half a day to go.
I've recalled my scouting drones too. At this point, I think I'll get more info out of the of orbital deployment and talking to the locals than my own drones. I also need to correct a critical flaw in them. The one that found Dry Gulch is one exception though, I've left it to hover around the city, checking out the area. Since I'm going that direction any ways, no point and flying off with it.
Still I crack open the VTOL's current blueprint. I'd been looking over it earlier while dealing with the Heavy Laser Tank. Just to make sure everything was fully functional. It only had a few obvious kinks I noticed. They were not too hard to work out. Currently, just going over it one last time to keep myself calm before I meet with the local hunter team.
The plane is a quad tilt rotor, an evolution of my scouting drone, made to be an aircraft. Including actual lift providing wings. The thing is specially built to fit through the portal while being able to hold a tank, car, or a smaller building. With storage space to spare. Which is more a testament to the size of the portal than the aircraft.
The engines on this beast are four nearly identical turboprop engines. I actually was able to get working designs for each basic kind of jet engine for the future of my air force. Just never had time to make any planes with them.
This was supposed to be just only be a theoretical design. Which would be quickly replaced by what tech I pick up here in RWBY. Which is also why I haven't tried to design a helicopter yet. Still Andy went through the effort to make this thing and I'm glad to have it.
It uses an overly complicated swept wing mechanism to allow it to fit through the portal while hovering. The front wings 'sweep' forwards while the back wings sweep back giving the craft a few feet of clearance through the portal. I even made the joints there out of alien alloy, since its main property is not raw strength, but durability. Stress fractures are not a thing with it.
Then again I'm not so sure what I'm worried about, none of my tech has never worn out with time. The only time it ever fails is if it runs out of power or is damaged through some exterior means, like running into a tree. Any damage can be fixed with a repair kit.
I've armed it with basically five weapon points, front, back, top and two under wing pods. Front are right under the nose of the VTOL, it's a fixed rotary cannon. The back is a point defense turret, which both acts to shoot down missiles and cover the back entrance. The top is like a classic flying fortress style turret, twin Gatling Guns. Not sure if it's overkill or not, but never hurts to have it. 'Under' the front wings is where I have the missile pods.
It's practically a war plane on its own, the big thing is that the weapons only weigh as much as the guns themselves. I can store the ammo for it using the storage system. Thus eliminating all the weight that would go into bullets and missiles. Hell, half the space of this transport is basically one big 'chest', which massively expands its storage capacity to basically be able to hold four car's worth of inventory. Best thing is it'll never carry any of that weight. After all that, there's still enough room to fit a tank or car in here.
I close up the blueprint. God, it's been so long since I've had to even
think about communication with other people. Still I'm traveling there for my own good. This will likely be the fastest way to get it done.
I really need to crack open the notes on dust. So far from the research of Dust, I only got Cold Ammo, Frost Grenades, and Freeze Capsules from it. I am probably going to have to research just about every kind of dust. It will at least pass the time until I meet up with the locals.
------
'When one reaches resonance with the dust, they are able infuse their very soul with the power of-'
"Beep beep beep!"
The sound of my timer chiming brought me out of the sixth time I'd read through the notes. Half of it makes sense, the other half, it was like I am missing something. I close down the Ice Dust notes and take control of the plane. I descend down to meet with them. It is finally time to greet the group. I set the timer to remind me when dawn was finished breaking.
I bring my craft around, to finally fly towards the town of dry gulch. If one is going to make an appearance, one cannot do it at any time. Which is why when I got closer to the town in the middle of the night, I set it to circle about a quarter hour away from the town. It's flight time is quite frankly bullshit, but I'll need to refuel it in about two more days.
Won't take to long to reach there. In fact I'll recall my drone. Takes it about 10 min to reach it, a quick reclamation and the drone is back into storage. I continue on for five more minutes, the two slowly becoming larger in my vision. I start getting bursts of static over my radio, naturally they are trying to communicate with me.
"Hello, this is Leonard Warman, can you hear me?" I respond with my radio. I have no idea what that does, to their stuff, but we'll have to see. One of their smaller craft takes off to meet me. I slow my craft down some distance away from it. I turn my craft to have my left side face them, I crack open the exterior hatch and give them a wave. I point downwards as I bring my craft down some distance from the town. They seemed to get it and follow me down.
My craft's engines slowed down to an idle once I touch down with a landing rougher than I like. I kill the engines so they stop kicking up a damn sand storm. Their craft lands a good distance from mine, the side of it opening up and spilling out three people with two shortly after them for five in total.
I cautiously step out of my craft, with a hope off the final step my boots impacting the ground and sinking in slightly into the hard earth. My armor is heavy and orange. I have so much orange paint, I just use it on everything that needs painting or sealing. I don't even remember why I made so much of the stuff, but it works damn well. You literally have to damage the material beneath it to scuff the stuff.
I slowly move forwards as the mini sandstorm from the engines die down. I take proper stock of the group in front of me. All of them have their guns out, but none of them are pointing the weapons at me. On closer inspection, one of them is obviously a robot, one of the
robots from the show, with its white paint replaced with green. The humans of the group were all dressed in what looked like higher
quality atlas soldier armor that covered more of their body, but has a lower profile, almost like SWAT armor. The main difference between each of them is their headgear, secondary color and weapons.
The oldest of the group has dark tanned skin, silver grey hair, and a neatly trimmed mustache. He has a smoking cigar in his mouth, wearing a red cowboy leather hat and his secondary is red. In his hand is a gun that looks oddly like an over sized pump action shotgun. He is taking point in the squad, despite being one of the last to leave the craft.
Right behind and to my right of him, is the second member of the squad. The man is wearing the standard helmet and wielding what looks like their standard energy rifle. Though it almost looks like it could split apart at the base of where the barrel meets the stock. His secondary color is a dark red.
Next member of the squad, and to my left of the cowboy, is also wearing the standard helmet, but the secondary color of his armor has faded to be pink. His gun is more obviously customized with a bigger body and longer barrel. He also has several knives and grenades strapped around his body.
The last is wearing what more looks like a flight helmet and a pistol in hand. He's practically hiding behind the robot and was one of the ones coming with the group. The secondary color is Orange. My microphones pick up the muttering. "Man, why did I get out of the Bullhead again? It's so hot out here!"
"Stow the chit chat Private." The cowboy chastises their pilot. I wonder why he even leave the craft if he's going to complain about it. Mr. Red turns his attention to me. "I'm Staff Sargent Sarge of the Atlas Military. State your business with Dry Gulch outpost or we will open fire!
If you can even understand me."
"I am Leonard Warman" I stop walking towards them, keeping some distance between us and raise up my empty hands in a placating manner. Something about them seems familiar to me. I can't put my thumb on it. "I seek shelter, a place to rest and rearm."
There was an awkward silence. The one with maroon coloring speaks up. "Uh, is he surrendering?"
"I don't know." The one with pink highlights talks. "Why isn't he speaking?"
"Tal vez él es mudo.*" The robot stated deadpan...Spanish?
...
Oh dear lord, I forgot to put an exterior speaker on the helmet. I can even see how I missed that issue. I always conversed with Andy through the Coms. My hand descends on the helmet giving my best impression of a face palm. I bring my other hand to the helmet actuating the release and pull the armored headpiece off. "Let's try this again, can you understand me?"
They all give a nod. Well at least they can hear me through my survival suit. I put the outer helmet under my arm and then then try my introduction once more, from a different angle this time. "I'm Leonard Warman, I'm seeking refuge and a chance to rest and rearm."
"Oh... so you're not here to take over Remnant as our new glorious alien overlord?" The Sargent questioned in his thick southern accent. I just stare at him for a moment. Letting the eerie silence creep on.
"World domination is off the table for now." I deadpan before continuing pointing a thumb at the VTOL. "Seriously though, could I park my craft in one of your pads for for a few nights?"
"Well, why didn't you ask before?" The Sargent asked. "At ease soldiers."
"Oh thank god, I'm getting back in the cockpit, let me know if he starts shooting at us or something." The one with orange highlights moves back into the small airship. The rest of the team relaxes, holstering guns and groaning about the heat. The green machine puts its weapons on its back.
"My coms are nonfunctional." I ignore the pilot as a door inside the craft slams shut.
"That would explain it." The Sargent seems to buy my explanation.
"And your Scroll?" The Maroon solider adds his own question having removed his helmet to show off his short cropped brown hair and maroon eyes.
I stay silent for a moment what does a rolled up piece of parchment have to do with this? Wait, wait wait, that's their phone equivalent isn't it. "Grimm ambushed me when I landed to make field repairs."
"That'd do it." Sarge responded pausing a moment to think on it. "Well, given what you've told us, I think I can let you into our little slice of hell, if you let us inspect your cargo bay."
I think on it for a moment when I notice something on my radar. A red dot, meaning Grimm. "We've got Grimm incoming. It takes a minute for my engines to rev up, can you cover me? You can search my cargo after we've gotten somewhere safer."
I start up the Engines of my VTOL remotely and put my helmet back on. With a whine the rotors start to build up speed. The turret on top comes active. It will be just a few seconds before the beasts are close. With a chirp, my turret turns away from us. Unloading a roar of rotary cannon fire. If the Grimm get to close it can't fire on them.
"Holy shit!" The Maroon one shouted.
"LOAD UP MEN!" The Sargent ordered his men. They started moving to get back into the Bullhead. I turned to move to the back side hatches my craft. Need to support it with my own fire.
"Wait did he have that gun a second ago?" The pink soldier questioned right before I step into my VTOL. I step through it around my car and out the other side. This will be a bother. More of the damn lizards. I throw out quite a generous number of destroyer capsules to help buy time.
I see the form of the Bullhead fly around and over my craft. The soldiers just stare at the scene of the Lizards being harried by heavy gatling fire and a swarm of flying attack drones. A blast from my laser rifle at a closing lizard brings them out of their funk. They open fire with their own weapons.
The Sargent's shotgun launched glowing red flaming orbs into the pack of Grimm. Maroon's gun now sported a different end and made quick work of a Lizard with a large pulse of blue energy. The green bot picks at the lizards with smaller blue pulses of energy. Last but not least Pink throws out a few knives with lethal accuracy.
The next few moments become chaos as we unload on the beasts of Grimm. Until my craft jerked up into the air away from the damn Grimm. I throw out a fire capsule as one last goodbye. I shut the side doors and move up to the cockpit of my craft. Time to finally land this bird in Dry Gulch.
*TL: Maybe he is mute.
