Team RWBY found themselves in a meager setting, not quite what they expected. They were initially hoping to find themselves roaming the halls of the acclaimed Shade Academy. Perhaps even fitting in with the student body there. Instead, they found themselves in a former dust warehouse that initially belonged to the Schnee Dust Company. Which often liked to store its dust in Vacuo because of the lower maintenance cost there, as workers from the poorer sections of Vacuo City could be hired for lower wages. Depalidated symbols of the defunct company could be seen, not unnoticed by Weiss Schnee. She knew that she was staring at the remains of an empire within a kingdom, and that with the fall of Atlas the SDC was almost practically no more.

"Does it have to be in an SDC warehouse?" Weiss asked Qrow.

"Why not Shade Academy?..." Ruby added.

"Because I wanted to keep a low profile... Now's not  really the time to show yourselves," Qrow explained, as he shut the doors to the warehouse. "With the most powerful kingdom down and out of the fight, people are scared, Professor Theodore sided with the council on using Nordwind as a defense force. The council are especially off-put with how fast the Grimm are making gains around Remnant, so the PMC has plenty of influence around Vacuo now... Influence they use on the wider public to pin the fall of Atlas onto you guys."

He gestured to Team RWBY, the four girls all seemed slightly downtrodded at this revelation. Ruby most of all.

"But that doesn't mean it was all your fault, I don't think anything could have saved Atlas from Salem's all-out attack. Ironwood's plan to push his floating fortress somewhere else wouldn't have made the situation any better, only prolonged the inevitable. Nevertheless, public trust of huntsmen and huntresses couldn't be any lower right now."

"So, what does that make us then. Without Shade Academy supporting us, or the wider public. What do we have?..." Blake asked.

"We have what we get, and we're the Resistance." Qrow replied.

"The Resistance. I like the sound of that." Jaune said.

Just then, the sound of the doors into the warehouse opening once more drew the ire of the occupants. Sun headed into the room, carrying Neptune on his shoulder. While his blue-haired friend wasn't doing too bad, he still was limping visibly. His aura had healed most of the scratches sustained on his body, though it was clear that he'd be out of action for a good while.

"I just got back from Frija and..." Sun gasped aloud, his eyes widened at the very sight of Team RWBY. Like he just saw a ghost, or five ghosts. Jaune included.

"Team RWBY!? Y-You're back! You guys are alive!" Sun exclaimed with delight. Scurring over to them with Neptune in tow.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow." Neptune cried out with every step Sun's quickened pace forced him to take. Qrow chuckled at this.

"Of course we're alive after that entire ordeal in a fantasy land. that's what makes us the best." Yang replied to Sun, leaning back on the lone couch.

"Cool." Sun replied, laying Neptune down onto the couch beside Ruby and Weiss. "It's just like old times."

"Not exactly like the old times Sun, but we all appreciate you here." Blake said, giving Sun a re-assuring smile.

"Who else do we have in this... resistance?" Ruby asked.

"Nora and Ren, and these two guys." Qrow gestured to Sun and Neptune. "Team CFVY sometimes, but only from time to time."

"What about my sister? And Oscar?..." Weiss asked.

"That's the thing about Oscar. These past few months, Ozpin's only becoming more and more present. I saw less of that boy every day I saw him." Qrow replied, "He missed you guys a lot, but if you were ever able to see him again. I think that'd make him real happy. Right now he's on a diplomatic mission with Winter, convincing the desert bandits to join the cause."

Again, the news of Oscar's gradual fading brought a solemn feeling down onto Team RWBY. He was everyone's favourite from the get-go, thrown into a wider world that he didn't ask for. Yet still embarked on this journey with them without hesitation, even when they all indirectly dogpiled on him after Ozpin revealed the unfortunate truth about Salem.

"Sounds like we're going to be needing everyone we can to help in the fight against Salem." Yang spoke up.

"Which is why we're all here. One thing stands in the way of world unity here. Nordwind PMC and that bastard Foehn. His rogue company's refusing to cooperate with huntsmen academies on defensive matters, monopolizing that newly discovered Dust mine near the old city of Frija, and I'm sure this is ringing old bells, they're mostly using cheap imported labour from menagerie."

"The Schnee Dust Company 2.0." Blake added, followed by a hefty sigh. The SDC was finally gone, only for another company to rise in its place. Qrow then turned to the two newly arrived in the room, taking note of Neptune's dishevelled appearance.

"So Sun, Neptune. What shenanigans did you get yourselves into this time." Qrow turned to his 'secret' operatives.

"It was his fault!" Neptune called out quickly, pointing to Sun. "He compromised us, endangering the mission, and the resistance!"

"What? My fault! I was just trying to save someone from being discriminated against. And you were the one who almost gave us away in the first place! Amateur!" Sun pointed back.

"I almost did it! And then you did do it!" Neptune wailed out, "Now look at my leg! I feel like it's been twisted."

"Alright alright, stop arguing guys." Jaune stepped in. "Come on we're better than this."

"Don't worry, it's just a bro argument Jaune. Just let the grown-up's handle this." Sun assured him right before the two continued their argument in the background as Team RWBY and Jaune diverted their attention back to Qrow.

"Some resistance..." Weiss joked, earning a laugh and two finger guns from Yang.

"It's good to know we're not alone in this." Ruby said, as she stood up before declaring. "Uncle Qrow, what can we do to help?"

Ruby was eager to get back into the fight. Qrow chuckled, his nephew was always one to be the first to help where she could. He admired that in her.

"Just hold your horses, you've been gone wherever. It might be good for you guys to be re-acquainted before heading out on some secret mission. Alright?" Qrow asked.

"And leave the missions to Sunshine and Thalassophobia over there?" Yang asked, gesturing to Sun and Neptune. "No offense."

"None taken." The two replied as they turned their heads towards Yang. pausing their argument only to get back right into it.

"It's probably something you'll come to hate anyway, not too much combat. Just a bunch of scouting missions into Nordwind territory." Qrow assured.

"We can do the scouting stuff." Ruby reasoned. "Even if it does mean that... I sacrifice the red hood."

"Yeah, we could totally bend in. Right Blake?" Yang asked her faunus partner, giving her a slight nudge.

"Maybe me more than you." Blake replied. "No offense, right?"

"Yeah yeah, don't be such a smart aleck." Yang shook her head, wrapping her arm around Blake's shoulder.

"Oho, am I detecting some young romance?" Qrow asked with a cocky smile as he crossed his arms

"Don't be gross about it Qrow..." Yang said with a hint of embarrassment, her uncle chuckled as he smirked.

"So Blake and Yang are together!?" Sun appeared behind RWBY, eyes quickly darting between Yang and Blake. "Whoaa, that is so wild! I've heard of teammates having relationships and all that. But I've never actually met anyone who-"

"Forgive him, he's probably jealous." Neptune popped up beside Sun. His friend glared back at him with a fire in his eyes as they both engaged in a scuffle, kicking up a cloud with obscured their fighting.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Too!" "Not!" "Too!" "Not!"

"Oh boy..." Qrow sighed. Before turning to Team RWBY. "Okay, maybe you can go down to the train station or something... see if there's anything suspicious there. In the meantime, I have to use some connections to get us more supplies."

"Well, don't you worry Uncle Qrow. Team RWBY is on the case." Ruby jovially proclaimed as she stood up.

"What about you Jaune? Up for some more action?" Yang asked, while she cracked her knuckles.

"You guys go on, I think I gotta have a little rest... A few years in the Ever After will do that to you..." Jaune said, embarrassingly stroking the back of his neck. "Gotta fix my sleep schedule. Wouldn't want to be dozing on the job, right?

"Suit yourself." Yang said, while checking the number of rounds she had left in Ember Celicia. "Now guys, I dunno about you but I think it's probably best that we get out of this heavy clothing."

***

Though Vacuo was largely wide spans of uninhabited desert, the Kingdom was blessed with a robust rail system which had been used mainly as a method of transporting it large quantities of dust before the Great War.  It still exists to this day, having been significantly invested into by the central council on top of the Schnee Dust Company. Coming to resemble  a wide web of railways that all led to and from Vacuo city. Perfect for transporting people over large distances, it was also a preferred  for bandits transporting goods to various cells.

At one of Vacuo City's biggest metro, Grand Union Station, Team RWBY stayed hidden beneath dull-coloued cloaks they had bought for themselves as they moved amidst the crowds of people commuting out of the city. Weiss felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket, picking it up to receive Ruby's call.

"Tulip 1 to Frostbite 7, checking your status... come in, over?" Ruby called to Weiss over her scroll.

"Frostbite?..." Weiss asked. "Now that's really uncreative, even for you... Coast is clear on my end, nothing suspicious, Tulip."

"What's my call sign then, Lil' sis?" Yang curiously inquired, jacking into the call through her own scroll.

"Firefly, and Witch for Blake." Ruby replied with a sense of pride.

"Yang and Blake get 'Firefly' and 'Witch', while I get called 'Frostbite'?..." Weiss asked.

"Yeah... don't you like it?" Ruby asked.

"It's too... obvious for my tastes."

"Oh... sorry. I'll just change it later." Ruby assured her.

"Also, why are we using our scrolls to communicate when we're only a few feet apart from each other?..." Weiss questioned.

Team RWBY all looked up from their scrolls, at each other, then to the mild distance that separated each of them. They exchanged blank stares before they all promptly turned off their scrolls.

"It's better this way." Yang nodded.

The four huntress' attention was then turned towards the station's intercom which blared aloud with a warning for all who could hear it. A call to caution for many, a call to action for another

'Line 6F South is currently closed down due to ongoing bandit activity on a dust transport, please remain calm... The train will resume service shortly.'

"Sounds like some asses need a good kicking, don't you think guys?" Yang asked, smacking her fists together with a smile on her face.

It was good to be back.