Capital Wasteland, 3rd POV

The wind dragged a long, low moan across the wreckage of what had once been a neighborhood, rusted tricycles buried in sand, shattered holotapes glinting under the sun, the bones of forgotten families half-buried beneath collapsed porches and broken lampposts. Buildings half way repaired, vehciles driving around as men and women were moving around with repair tools and heavy equipment

Welcome to the new American frontier.

Soon a vertibird roared overhead, casting a shadow that moved over the ruined streets of DC. Its black frame bore the unmistakable crest of the Enclave Federal Directorate, the signature E with stars around it. It was moving a pair of salvaged resources that was gonna be turned into building materials for the reconstruction efforts in the area

Below it, nestled between the crumbling remains of pre-war federal buildings and a repurposed metro station, stood Fort Sentinel, a stark monument of rebar and reinforced plating welded together from scrap and old Enclave logistics hubs and more. Once a forward operating base in the Eden era, it had been transformed under Director-General Marcus Vex into the beating heart of the Enclave's East Coast governance.

On the ramparts, soldiers stood in matte-black combat gear, exactly not power armor, but adaptive plate armor built for maneuverability, with glowing HUD monocles attached to worn dented helmets. They weren't exactly pristine, but they were practical for the soldiers since the new armor was made for the standard troops.

Inside the command chamber, screens buzzed with grainy images from the western front. Map overlays flickered: zones around the Midwest recently secured by the 3rd Capital Infantry Regiment, civilian caravans moving through irradiated plains under Enclave escort, and a growing list of "Neutrality Pacts" signed with the Brotherhood and NRC.

General Vex stood with arms behind his back, silently watching the reports. Tall, broad-shouldered, and worn by years of battle and reform, his uniform bore no gold, no ribbons-just the polished iron bar of his office. He was white skinned, short black hair, blue eyes and a little stuble forming on his chin and cheeks. He held a cup of coffee in his hand, rare but thanks to some connections, he got a hot brew in his hand

Behind him, the glass-paneled wall gave a clear view of the wasteland beyond, where fusion pylons blinked like lighthouse beacons across the horizon, guarding freshly re-established farms and recovery camps. As well as strike groups around the East coast, handling former Legion remnants, Raider groups and criminals wanted by the Enclave

"Water systems stabilized in sectors 9A and 12D," said a junior officer, tapping through a glowing tablet,"projected food surplus by winter is stable, if assuming trade with the Vault-Tec holdouts continues."

"And the Midwest," Vex asked, sipping his coffee

"Hostile pockets are thinning out, though there are some resistance from Purist remnants in Kentucky. They tried hitting an unarmed convoy between Illinois and Kentucky, CIR-02 enraged and neutralized them in under twelve minutes."

"Any casualties?"

"Four civilians and two soldiers. All recoverable, they will receive a proper burial."

Vex sighed and nodded to the junior officer, who nodded and walked off. He was tired, not just physically, but in that quiet, haunting way only commanders grow tired. The last few years have been a grueling task, not just for him, but for the entire Enclave since Augustus Autumn took over and reformed the Enclave to what it is now, helping instead of killing innocent people

The Enclave may have changed, but the world certainly hadn't.

Too many factions still clung to old grudges against them for what happened when they came off the oil rig. NCR politicians continued to treat them like a necessary evil. Brotherhood remnants still refused cooperation and horde all the technology they find. And for every Wastelander family they helped, there were five more waiting to die behind a crumbling wall or a locked bunker.

But still, progress was progress in the eyes of most soldiers and civilians.

In the hangars below, technicians worked on newly restored Vertibird-9s, replacing thermal coils and cleaning plasma housings. Civilian volunteers assisted, learning trades and earning wages of the new currency, even though most didn't yet understand how it works yet. Vex sighed as he sipped his coffee and went to his office, where he saw one of his colleagues there

Mason Woods, the Colonel leading the 1st Capital Mechanized Infantry Regiment, he was in his early 30's, sandy blonde hair underneath his military cap, blue eyes and tanned skin. He wore the Enclave military uniform, black with the Enclave symbol on the left side of his chest, and a leather trench coat with a fur collar. He was standing in front of the desk, hands collapsed behind his back

"Colonel Woods," Marcus said

"General-Director Vex," Mason said,"nice to see I can meet with the leader of the newly reformed Enclave."

"Kiss my ass Woods, I rather be on the frontlines than be sitting on my boney ass here."

Mason chuckled as the two shook hands, then Marcus bought out a bottle of whiskey from his desk. After pouring themselves a drink, Marcus and Mason sat in the leather chairs salvaged from the ruins of the Pentagon.

"So Woods, what do I owe the pleasure of a surprise visit," Marcus asked him,"I thought the 1st CMIR was in Seattle handling the last of the Purist remnants."

"We finished them off last night," Mason said as he sipped his drink,"got in early this morning, used a lot of fuel to book it here, had many wounded after the initial engagement."

"I see, well it's good to see the Purists loyalists will no longer be a pain in our asses. How did your new recruits perform?"

"Very nicely, I knew they would survive if they could survive Master Sergeant Skeltons yelling and his cigar martinis he chugs."

"Elias is still hanging in there huh," Marcus asked with a chuckle,"known that man for years and he refuses promotion to stay on the frontlines then, in his words, "Sit on a comfy plush chair like a pampered poodle with a French hat"."

"Are poodles French," Mason asked

"No idea and will not ask Elias, I may be a high ranking General but that man literally grabbed a Super Mutants dick and twisted it. At this point I think that man is not scared of anything and is a Mutant still in human form."

The two men laughed as they clinked their cups and drink whiskey and talked old war stories together. Not looking outside the window as a small flicker and crack in the sky was quick, almost unnoticeable to the people on the ground. Unaware of the situation around them was about to change dramatically, for them and the entire history of America and the Enclave

The first thing to die was the sound, precisely 03:47, a wave of pressure rolled over the Capital Wasteland, and most of the West Coast. Animals went still, dust stopped moving and the winds froze mid-blow. Even the Geiger counters, ever faithful in their chatter in detecting radiation, went quiet for the first time in living memory.

In Fort Sentinel's central tower, alarms had not yet sounded to the change in the atmosphere. The communications grid hadn't failed, none of the plasma coils had overloaded, but everyone felt something was wrong. Engineers stopped working, recruits(both Human and non-Feral Ghouls) stopped training as they looked towards the horizon to see the colors in the sky change it

Vex and Woods also started to feel it, they stood up and looked out the window, seeing the sky change colors and then thats when the ground shaked. It started small, small rumbles all over the West, making people in the small towns have small tumbles and accidents happen. Back at the Pentagon, Vex and Woods shook as the tremors started to go, as a communications officer ran in

"Sir," the communications officer said,"reports are saying the tremors are all over the country!"

"Earthquake," Woods asked

"At this level, I don't think a mag 9 can this," Vex said, then turned to the communications,"officer, radio all bases and airports on-."

But the communications officer was listening, she was looking into the window, same as Woods. Vex looked confused as he turned back to the window, his eyes lingering on the horizon from his window. Cause in the far, far distance, beyond where any radio tower reached, something unseen began to pull parts of the country upward into the sky./

They looked up as a massive crack of black-violet light sliced down from the sky, stretching wide like the Grand Canyon in the atmosphere. Stars disappeared behind it, the clouds churned into spirals and even the sun disappeared. The Earth howled as parts of the land started to rip off and fly into the sky towards into the crack, which caused the sirens exploded to life.

Comms flared to life.

"Unknown atmospheric rupture, origin unknown!"

"Power surges across all fusion nodes! We're reading magnetic flux patterns off the charts!"

"Sir-it's centered over Nevada! The entire Western Seaboard is-disappearing!"

What followed was like an explosion, from California to Colorado, from Seattle to Phoenix, the Earth bent outward. The skies folded, the land cracked, and a dome of impossible darkness swallowed the Western United States in less than ninety seconds. Cities vanished and mountains folded like paper. The great rivers boiled upward, caught in the pull of a rift no science could explain.

The last thing Vex and Woods saw before Fort Sentinel's ground ripped open was the silhouette of the Sierra Nevada Mountains tilting sideways and vanishing into a vertical horizon of white fire and starless shadow.

Then-

nothing.

Unknown location

The drop lasted ten seconds, or to some it felt like ten hours. No one knew, no one could even remember what happened during that time, some felt like they were suspended in gravity. Then they all simply fell, not just downward, but in every direction at once. A sensation like drowning in frozen air, like being pulled apart without pain.

The air screamed, but no sound reached the ear. And then impact into the vast ocean around the now teleported section of America. Many people in the land got up as they groaned, held their bodies that were crushed some objects and slammed against said objects. One person somehow got their head into a toilet, and thankfully(or not), it had already flushed

The black void tore open above the forested highlands, spilling metal and earth and entire stretches of desert into the ocean. Vertibirds, still airborne during the event, were thrown into spiraling freefall, some landed safely others not so much. Highways ruptured into cliffs, broken city blocks slammed into fertile plains, tearing gouges across the terrain like dragged blades.

The land of America was jagged and crumbled, but it soon started to reform and repair itself. After an hour, the lands were fixed and looked normal, well normal as the apocalyptic wasteland can be. People were rushing around as they started helping wounded, forcing up with their battalions and medics rushing to gather supplies

"Ugh god I feel like puking my lunch," Woods said as he held his stomach,"and I just had Grilled Radroach."

"Ugh my head, I'm too old for this shit," Vex said as he got up,"okay, what in Sam Hill, did the fuck just happened!?"

"Umm sirs, y-you two might want to look at this," the communications officer said as she pointed out the window

Marcus and Mason walked to the window, then looked up and there they saw the moon, and what really shocked them was the fact it was shattered into pieces!

"Dear God," Mason said

"Officer," Marcus said to the communications officer,"go on all bands, all channels, hell even the black ops channels, tell all Enclave forces to go to DEFCON 2, assemble the Cabinet, we need to get on top of this."

"Understood sir," the communications officer said said, giving a salute and ran off

"Marcus, what the hell is going on here," Mason asked his friend

"No idea yet," Marcus said,"but far as I can already tell, we ain't in Kansas anymore Woods."

Six Hours After Arrival

Location: Fort Sentinel Command Chamber, Deep Subterranean Assembly Hall
Time: 36 Hours After the Rift Event
Condition: Emergency Energy Protocol Alpha, Secure Channel E-22 Online

The room had no windows, only reinforced steel, white LED strips, and the faint hum of redirected fusion power. The usual war-table hologram flickered, still adjusting to unfamiliar star patterns and magnetic irregularities in the new world.

At the far end of the chamber, Director-General Marcus Vex stood in his dress uniform, a bit wrinkled and dusty, but still made him look serious and professional. His eyes were red from lack of sleep, but his posture remained carved in iron.

Around him, seated or standing at their assigned terminals: Colonel Mason Woods of the 1st CMIR, Colonel Adira Kross, 2nd CMIR, Colonel Darius Wren, 3rd CMIR and Lieutenant Alec Renner, 4th CMIR

Dr. Elenor Baird and Director Samuel Quade of the Civic Progress Council. Elenor was a woman in her early thirties, long black hair with some wrinkles forming at her forehead, light blue eyes and wore a standard Enclave scientists uniforms. Samuel Quade was a man around 34, sandy copper hair, brown eyes, wearing a suit, but it was faded due to the prolong exposure to the elements

Justice Helena Kravik, Iron Codex Chief Arbiter, and she was the most pissed off here. Even though she was in her late twenties, she was feared during the Purists trials against those who supported Eden. She was white skin, long blonde hair with green eyes, wearing a clean pen suit that show she was ready to hit something or someone with her gavel

On encrypted remote uplinks, for those to far off to attend in person, were: President Emil Kimbley of the New California Republic, his face pale and exhausted from from the initial teleportation and handling the aftermath. Paladin-Commander Locke of the Mojave Brotherhood, he looked like Kimbley, but covered it with drinking coffee. And Elder Ruth Atwater of the Chicago Brotherhood, who rubbed his face as he had just dealt with calming his people

Everyone in this room understood this wasn't a war council but a survival briefing after the "Rift", dubbed by many of the younger soldiers and even a few scientists. They had just spent the last few hours calming the public, reorganizing their militaries and counting their people to see how many were alive or had died during the Rift

"Status report have come in, we have roughly 31% of the Western continental infrastructure accounted for," Vex spoke up as he looked at the clipboard,"that includes civilian zones from northern California, parts of Nevada, Arizona, and the Utah and Oregon sectors."

"Transit systems are non-functional outside of local sectors," Quade said,"rail lines have either collapsed or dead-ended where terrain doesn't match. Vertibird refueling pads are working, but we only have 10 airworthy frames out of twenty-seven."

"Confirmed survivors across Enclave sectors, estimates around 2.3 million civilians," Baird said,"that includes Wastelander towns, Vault residents, and Directorate citizens. Death toll's still being calculated around the hundreds."

"Navy," Vex asked

"All 7 ships are still in operational condition," Woods said,"few minor repairs were made, but they're good to go."

"We've got solid troop counts of 14,000 active personnel across all regiments," Kross said,"give or take a few hundred still unaccounted for. Supply stockpiles are intact in secured hubs, but we need stable routes fast."

"Biome readings are anomalous, we've done several tests and the Geiger counters haven't detected radiation in the water," Wren said

"Sounds like we landed on a different world," Renner said

"Oh really, like the shattered moon was evident enough of that guess," Woods said to him, rubbing his eyes

"Jackass."

"Dickhead."

"Enough," Vex said to them, making them shut up,"President Kimbley, anything to report on your end?"

"We're getting the same reports, we were in session when it hit," Kimbley said,"most of the western Republic's body vanished, we've got maybe a third of the Senate accounted for. Vault 44's overseer confirmed they saw entire districts dissolve mid-transit."

"How much of your infrastructure survived?"

"Shady Sands and Vault City is major disrepair, we're holding onto the Hub but it's under reconstruction at the moment. NCR Central Command is now operating out of what's left of a mobile artillery base outside what used to be Barstow. We're estimating fewer than 600,000 citizens accounted for. No radio contact with the Boneyard or the Shi."

"Any intel on outside nation-states that might've been pulled along with us," Justice Kravik asked,"Legion maybe?"

"Unknown at this time, there were reports of Legion camps being ripped apart, but nothing concrete," Kimbley said,"the Think Tank believes this to be artificial or even supernatural, not man-made. We've been prepping for nukes, not whatever the hell this is."

"And of New Vegas," Vex asked

"Mr. House Securitrons have secured the city, a riot broke out with the Kings and Jackals but they suppressed it. He is giving us access to some of his resources and land to establish recovery camps."

"Lost contact with Lost Hills and Maxson Bunker during the surge," Paladin-Commander Locke said,"we've still got our Mojave bunker near Nellis, and we're holding position. Our scribes are working around the clock, but the planet's electromagnetic signature doesn't match Earth's at all. Even satellite pings don't return."

"Confirmed, no orbital positioning matches," Elder Atwater said,"our deep-archives have no files on anything like this, if you count the theoretical data from former sci-fi stories or novels."

"Well this isn't theoretical anymore," Vex said,"we are on another planet and now the next question isn't how...it's what now."

"We secure what we can," Renner said,"reinforce the sectors, establish regional control, and start rebuilding logistics."

"Agreed, fusion grids are stable," Quade said,"if we prioritize power and water routing, we can re-establish three self-sufficient sectors in the next two weeks."

"What about external threats," Kross asked,"we haven't seen anything beyond the ocean, we can estimate that there is land given the small islands around us. But we don't know if there is any life here."

"We need coordination across all surviving parties," Vex said,"Enclave, NCR, Brotherhood, whatever old lines or grudges existed, they're obsolete now. We need a new map, new structure and new expectations."

"We invoke Article 9 of the Iron Codex, theTemporary Integration Doctrine," Justice Karvik said,"all major surviving factions are to submit rosters, relief schedules, and available logistics. Civilian protection comes first, no engaging any native powers until verified contact protocols are developed."

"I'll prep civilian advisories and relocation centers," Dr. Baird said

"Our scribes can assist with archives, historical integration, and off-world assessment," Atwater said

"...So this is what it took to bound us together huh," Kimbley said with a chuckle,"being teleported to another planet by unknown means and now we're trying to understand this new world."

"Looks like it old friend," Vex said

The meeting concluded in silence, no applause or pomp to show unity or what. Just tired soldiers, scientists, and leaders doing everything in their power to understand where they had ended up and to see if anyone else was in this new world. And they will get their answers, one step at a time, and from the people of this world, who they will meet very soon

Location: Coastal Waters, 18 Nautical Miles off of the California shore

Vessel: USS Johnston (Fletcher-Class Destroyer)

Commanding Officer: Captain Shaw Harlan

Time: 04:12 Hours

After the seas have calm down from the landing of the American land, Navy ships were sent out to patrol the seas and ensure nothing came their way. Soem were still in repair, but the USS Johnston was freshly recommissioned and fusion-powered since the Rift, cut a quiet path through foreign waters, bristling with retrofitted rail-turrets and guided comms gear glowing faintly under the haze.

Captain Shaw Harlan, a veteran of the Pacific grid patrols, stood on the bridge, watching sonar technicians murmur over an irregular ping. It came one about 2 minutes ago, with the Sonar Operator informing Shaw and his XO, Anna Creeks, and they watched it.

"Run that again," Shaw said quietly, voice gravel and steel.

Petty Officer Briggs, thin, bleary-eyed from back-to-back shifts, shook his head at his CO.

"Still there, object stationary, roughly 300 meters long," Petty Officer Briggs said,"about 2 Nautical miles ahead of us."

"Speed?"

"Zero, dead in the water sir."

Shaw looked out onto the seas, seeing no birds, no sounds of engines or lights from the distance. Just the unnatural echo of something adrift in an alien ocean, this new world up in. Shaw hated suspense, he wanted information now and anything to help him and upper command understand where the hell they are or what brought them here, he even heard murmurs of magic

'Magic, ridiculous,' he thought

"Any visual on the object," he asked

Gunner's Mate Ortega adjusted the high-resolution optical cam, she looked around as she looked towards where the sonar picked up on it. Soon as she turned she then stiffened, the muscles tightening as she saw the object.

"Jesus, it's a carrack, fits, wooden 15th-century European profile," she said,"that's a ship from the Age of Discovery, sir."

Harlan raised an eyebrow but didn't flinch at this, many types of those ships were around on Earth, mainly museums or replicas for tourists attractions. And with his training, it told him not to assume anything until he got the facts straight.

"Helm, adjust heading," he ordered,"bring us 150 meters off its starboard. Alert the boarding team, don't kill anyone unless threatened. I want this clean."

A few minutes after, the boarding team was deployed via a reinforced Zodiac skiff, six soldiers from EFD Team Delta from the 1st CIMR, armed with Plasma rifles, handcuffs, and batons . Their armor was streamlined, sleek black composite with high-visibility armbands and armored chest pieces and helmets. No Power Armor was issued as they would have probably break the floor under them and sink to the ocean bed

The carrack groaned as they neared it, the timbers dark, the sails torn, its figurehead a cracked serpent curling over the waterline as moss clung to its sides. The name was carved in an unfamiliar script long eroded by salt and time. Once aboard, they moved slow, boots against rotted oak, rifles trained but lowered as they were trained.

There were signs of life, crates split open for dried food, rope beds and buckets for catching rainwater. Nothing electric or advanced, just a normal sea faring ship, like it was made during the 15th-century.

"Whole place feels like it's been barely held together with twine and nightmares," muttered Corporal Vasquez, sweeping the deck with a hand held motion sensor,"no response on thermal, it's cold as ice."

"Below decks," Sargent Major Elias Skelton said, he was team lead,"stay tight and watch your corners."

They descended into a narrow hold, lanterns flickering off rusted chains and empty cages. A single cooking fire had long since burned out, leaving only charcoal and bones, animal most likely. Then there was a sharp clatter, followed immediately by sudden silence, making the soldiers freeze.

The first came out of the dark swinging a metal skillet, screaming in a voice hoarse and broken. His hair was matted, ears pointed, a long black tail flicking beneath filthy robes. Then came others, four, maybe six individuals, thin, barely clothed by ragged tattered clothes. Hands bleeding from makeshift weapons: splintered wood, a rusted fork lashed to a stick, a broken table leg sharpened to a spear.

Delta Team didn't fire, instead they fell back and formed a half circle against the wall closest to them, and lowered their weapons. Elias saw their faces, they were scared, terrified and obviously were protecting something behind them. They weren't soldiers or they would have attacked in a more organized form, so they will try and not kill anyone

"Non-lethal engagement," Elias shouted,"stun rounds and non-lethal takedowns only!"

Vasquez took a hit to the shoulder from the fork shift spear and dropped groaning in pain. Another soldier grabbed the skillet-wielder and wrestled him to the floor. Elias grabbed the one with the broken leg table, wrestled out of their grip and kneed them in the gut, making them fall to the floor. A scuffle broke out near the forward cargo hold, but the Enclave soldiers moved like clockwork-disarming, grappling, never striking to harm.

It was over in under two minutes, letting the Enclave soldiers finally get a look at the occupants of the vessel. There six of them, 4 males and 2 females, but was really surprised them where the animal features on them. Two had feline like tails, one had scales of a Deathclaw or a Gecko, one had the ears of a lion, and the last had horns, one of a bull and a deer

"What the hell," Private Price asked,"are they mutants?"

"Negative, Geiger Counters aren't picking up anything," Corporal Davis said, using the device to scan them

"We won't go to that hell," the man with feline tails said,"we rather die than work in the mines again!"

"You speak English," Vasquez asked him

"Go to hell!"

Elias knelt beside one, the young girl with lion ears, her bones were showing through her skin, pale like she has had sunlight in weeks. She looked at him, her eyes were the most beautiful sea green and even though she looked like a pale ghost, she looked more beautiful than any woman he never met. She looked at this armored figure, seeing the gear but more importantly

"No...no chains," she said, her voice raspy and her lips chipped,"and you don't wear their armor."

"We're not here to hurt you," Elias replied quietly,

It was a long pause, then it was cut when another voice, older, male, deeper cut through the silence.

"You're not Mistralian or Mantlian, hell I never seen men like you before."

The Enclave soldiers turned to the side as a figure merged from the shadows, barefoot, wrapped in torn linen, stood an older man with wolf ears on his head and eyes like carved amber. He was lean, tall, and carried himself like he was still a rape middle age man, even though he looked around 50 years of age. Elias looked behind the man to see more people, all with animal traits like them

"No sir," Elias said as he stood up, holding his hands up in peaceful gesture,"we're American soldiers, and right now we are very confused to where we are."

"Confused," the old man asked,"what did you fall from the sky or some shit?"

"Yeah pretty much."

"Grandpa, are they gonna take us back to the mines," a little girl with a wold tail asked him

"Mines," Vasquez asked,"what mines?"

"The Dust mines obviously," the one with bullhorns said, matter of fact like,"what have you never heard of it? Our entire existence relies on it."

"Seems we got a lot to learn of this new world," Private Price spoke up

"Indeed, but lets make sure they get taken care of first before we do anything," Elias said as he turned back to the old man,"sir, we promise to you we will not take you to any mines or prison, we want to help you. If you can trust us I promise you and your people will be taken good care of."

"...We need medicine, many of us are sick and need food," the old man said,"if you can help them, I will answer any questions you have."

"Thank you, also my name is Elias Skelton, Sargent Major of the Enclave Federal Directorate."

"Lykos Sliver," Lykos said,"and I guess you can say I lead this little band of escaped Faunus."

"Faunus," Private Whittaker asked

"Thats what we are," the one with the second feline tail

"Well either was its nice to meet you," Elias said as he looked at the others,"okay everyone, grab whatever you own and go out on top of the ship. Vasquez radio the Johnston and tell them to contact the Naval Base in San Diego and get some Vertibirds down here to take these people back to the mainland."

"Roger that sir," Vasquez said as he grabbed his long ranges communicator

Elias bend down as he picked up the lioness woman, carrying her bridal style up the steps and onto the deck. She held onto tightly, feeling the warmth of his skin of his exposed neck, and more when she felt the sun hit her skin. She looked at the sky, seeing the sun setting on the horizon as Elias leaned her against the rail, covering her with a blanket he found in the captains quarters

"There you go," he said,"you were shivering badly, so I thought you could use the warmth."

"Thank you sir," she chuckled weakly,"it's been so long since I felt the sun on my skin."

"Yeah well once we get you to the medical center, you can soak up all the Vitamin D you want. Also, may I ask you your name?"

"...Diana, Diana Stone."

"Diana, thats a beautiful name."

The two smiled as Elias got and went to help the others get up top as they wanted for pickup to get them back home. It was an hour until Mk.II Vertibirds and a Condor Vertibird came from San Diego, they hovered beside the carrack as Delta Team loaded them in with help from the Condor crew. Took about 20 minutes until they were flying back to San Diego, with 20 of the Faunus

Back at Base, Elias was speaking with Colonel Woods on the terminal of the base. The Faunus were getting looked over by the medical staff of the base, keeping their vitals and making sure they were being properly fed. Lykos was already fed and now bing looked over by a Dr. Ilana Reese, and an archivist form the Brotherhood had appeared, a Scribe Roland

Roland job was to archive the interview with Lykos, to make sure everything was properly documented and shared with the authorities and soon the public. He was very interested in learning of this world, so much he begged Elder Atwater to assign him to this. He wanted to be the first to write the records of this new land and the new mission of the EFD

Lykos grey hair hanged to his shoulders in ragged waves, and across from him was Sgt. Major Elias, who was now in his normal military fatigues and cap, save for the iron stripe at his collar and the sidearm holstered on his side. Dr. Reese checked vitals one last time, blood pressure normalizing, hydration stabilized, minor infections treated and was given proper food.

"He's fit to speak," she said,"but he needs water and calm, so don't press him to him."

Elias gave her a curt nod, then turned to Lykos. He was ordered to understand about this world and thankfully Lykos was willing to help if his people were given the proper care and attention, which they were and now the little ones were seen playing around in the lower levels of the base. Roland looked at the wolf man and Elias, wondering when he would do his job

"Mr. Sliver,," Elias said plainly,"how are you feeling? Better now?"

Lykos stared at him for a long moment, his yellow eyes weren't angry. They were calculating, as if assessing Elias as he might a wolf among another pack. For Roland he can tell this man was more a bookkeeper then a soldier, given how he looked and acted

"Yes," Lykos said, his voice hoarse but clear thanks to the water they gave him,"thank you for that, its been a while since we had gotten any proper meals"

"I don't doubt that given how we found you, and how some of the Faunus acted around us. Now I know this a but fast, but I would like your help Lykos, me and my people you've seen so far aren't from this world."

"I could tell from how you looked at us and not know what Dust was. That must've mean this land must've caused the tidal wave to rock the ship."

"Yes I believe that it was, and I do apologize if any of your people were hurt by it, we didn't mean to cause it. As we had experienced an anomaly that quite literally ripped us from our home and brought us here."

Lykos looks at Elias as he nodded, now seeing that he didn't imagine the giant dome that appeared all those hours ago. He hummed and nodded to Elias, as Roland wrote down as Elias leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So Mr. Sliver, if you don't mind, could you please fill us in on this world," Elias asked,"any bit of information would be helpful to us in understanding this world and its people."

Lykos took a sip from the canteen, the pause almost felt sacred.

"This world is called Remnant," he began, slowly,"long ago, humans and Faunus lived together, maybe not equally, but it was livable. Then came the wars, and the dust. Always the damn Dust."

"Dust," Roland asked as he wrote it down

"Elemental crystals. You mine it, refine it and fuse it with tools vehicles or even your clothes. It powers everything, firearms, lights, cities. But it's volatile, very explosive and it's hoarded by the elite and royals."

"So it's a resource-based economy," Elias asked, Roland scribbling everything down

"Yes," Lykos said,"controlled by monopolies, all the Kingdoms built their wealth on it...and on us."

"The Faunus," Elias asked, biting his lip to not look angry

"They call us animals, saying we're born wrong. In Mistral, in Mantle, all we are to them is labor and property. If you resist, you vanish, then your children and then your history is rewritten."

Elias didn't respond, but his eyes held what Lykos can see, pure rage and hate. Roland saw this and just tapped twice on a pad, logging every word he heard. But he knew Elias record, a massive hate for Slavers and their reign on innocent people and turning them into merchandise. Last he heard when the Slavers were killed off in DC, Elias had killed most by himself

"And the creatures the other Faunus speak of," Roland asked,"a Faunus child said one of our Power Armor sets could rip a Beowulfs head off?"

"Grimm," Lykos answered, and the word carried weight,"creatures born of darkness. They respond to emotion-fear, rage, grief, any negative emotion you put out draws them in."

"You fight them," Elias asked

"We run from them," Lykos corrected him,"we don't have what you have, no armor, no skyships, no rail cannons. We have knives, sometimes Dust and sometimes pure luck. Some even have Semblances to combat them and push them back."

"Semblances," Roland asked

"A special ability people have on the planet, it comes at random times in a persons life. Then there's Aura, it's a barrier around a person powered by a persons soul, it acts as armor but breaks when you take too much damage."

"Fascinating! This is amazing data, and I was told of this one Kingdom called Mistral and Mantle, are there others?"

"There is Vale and Vacuo," Lykos said,"they make up the four kingdoms of Remnant, Mistral and Mantle are the main exporters of Dust and the slave trade, Vale is the fairest and most welcoming to Faunus, but it has its up and downs. Vacuo is all about survival of the fittest, you lose your wallet before you step one foot in there."

"Cheery," Elias said as he rubbed his face,"now the ship, where did you get it from?"

"Mistral, why do you ask?"

"To see where we're the closeted to and begin recon to understand the land, people and government before we proceed."

"Yeah well Mistral will be the most annoying, given how they view themselves as the influential and richest. We were on that ship for two months, there were 30 of us, but 6 died to illness and the others just...jumped into the water and never came back up."

"...I'm sorry," Roland said, stopping as he didn't feel like writing that,"so what were you supposed to do in Mistral besides mine?"

"Gladiators, we were forced to fight for the entertainment of the royalty and humans who cheered when a Faunus was killed. Thankfully some managed to free us and get to the ship, we set sail and there we needed up here. All thanks to you Mister Elias."

"No thanks needed, I was just doing my job," Elias said as he stood up,"for now go to your people and see if they need anything, doesn't matter what, just make sure they're well."

Lykos nodded and shook Elias hand, then was escorted out by an MP. Elias sighed as he rubbed his eyes, with Roland gather his supplies and looked at the door, then Elias.

"What are you thinking," Roland asked him

"Honestly, I want a stiff drink and too punch someone," Elias said as he soon walked out

"Oh this is gonna be fun."

Several Hours later, Fort Sentinel Debriefing Room

The briefing room was colder than usual, not by temperature but by weight, like the walls themselves were waiting to listen. High-ranking military brass, civilian advisors, scientists, and codex arbiters gathered in silence around the wide obsidian table, its surface pulsing with a slow heartbeat of data streams and digital maps of Remnant, thanks to Lykos giving them a faded map

At the head of the room sat Director-General Marcus Vex, flanked by Colonels Woods and Kross, Dr. Elenor Baird, Director Samuel Quade, Chief Arbiter Helena Kravik and Archivist Lia Noor

And standing before them, pulling up maps and voice logs, was Sgt. Major Elias. He had showered, and rimmed his beard before showing up, trying to make himself look presentable to the high ups. He looked to Roland who started up the projector.

A three-dimensional rendering of the continent of Vale and Mistral in the center table, a tad bit unfinished due to the rush job they were given, flickering in spots, most of it mapped only from Vertibird recon sweeps set after Lykos interview. Cities and villages glowed in pulsing white, Grimm hotspots in red and unknown zones flashed yellow.

"This world is called Remnant, there are four major powers known as the Kingdoms: Vale, Mistral, Malte, and Vacuo," Elias started off,"they serve as central hubs for population, trade, and defense. But they are not united, each is culturally distinct, politically fragmented, and heavily reliant on a substance known as Dust.

Dust is elemental in nature. It comes in crystal or powdered form and is the foundation for everything-energy, weapons, logistics, transportation. It's both resource and currency. And it is tightly controlled by monopolistic guilds and military-industries in the Four Kingdoms."

"Comparable to oil... or uranium," Dr. Baird asked, leaning forward

"Worse, imagine if oil could explode, manipulate gravity, or freeze a city block and was mined by child slaves in state-backed camps just cause they have extra parts."

"Yes and this Faunus," Quade asked,"are they mutants of this world? Given they have animal parts?"

"No sir, Dr. Baird and her people have done countless tests on them. No signs of mutated DNA or radiation, given how our Geiger Counters never detected any, as stated in the mission report."

Elias signed Roland to continue, so he tapped again. Making he image shift to photographs taken aboard the carrack and after when the Faunus were brought on land, it was images of malnourished Faunus, medical scans, scars, whip marks, bone fractures.

"They appear human but possess genetic animal traits, ears, tails, enhanced senses," Elias said,"hey've been labeled subhuman by most of the Kingdoms. Used as slave labor in Mistral and Mantle, conscripted as forced fighters, or penned into ghettos or the colosseum. They are a persecuted underclass, criminalized for existing."

"Any indication of hostile intent," Colonel Woods asked as he crossed his arms.

"They have established some villages as safe zones for the Faunus escaping slavery. They have formed a militia, but we have been told by the Faunus we brought that it was destroyed a few weeks ago."

"And the Kingdoms condone this," Karvik asked

"Mistral codifies it, Mantle enforces it, while Vale... seems passive. More tolerant, but they let it happen. And Vacuo, pardon my language sirs, don't give a shit unless it affects them, they believe in survival of the fittest and don't care about anyone besides themselves.""

"So it's institutional and systemic," Dr. Baird muttered, shaking her head

"Yes," Elias confirmed,"and there are these creatures called Grimm, they've been around as long as humans and are drawn to negative emotions. Fear, anger, despair, the more suffering, the stronger they come."

"So we're sitting on top of a powder keg," Colonel Kross said, rubbing her temple,"where the fuel is moral decay, and the monsters are made of it."

"Yes ma'am, and we've landed near Vale's and Mistral southern border," Elias said,"they haven't detected us yet, but Mistral knows these Faunus escaped captivity. And if they learn that we found their property they may come looking for them."

"How advanced are they, technologically wise," Director Quade asked.

"Mixture of 15th and 19th century, swords, pistols, one shit rifles, wooden ships and cannons. But their logistics and infrastructure are Dust-reliant, no fusion or satellites or AI. And the rest of the Kingdoms are far behind, Mistral still uses steam rails and slave labor in some provinces."

"Any signs of central global governance," Archivist Noor asked

"None what so ever ma'am. No world government or United Nations, just fractured Kingdom alliances and defense mechanisms using armies to battle the Grimm, each other or capture Faunus ."

"So, what do we do," Woods asked

"Codex Law allows us to engage diplomatically under Section 14-Post-Displacement Foreign Contact," Kravik answered first.,"but only after we've secured autonomous zone integrity."

"We're already entangled, these Faunus escaped genocide," Dr. Baird said, shaking her head,"if we hand them over, we're collaborators, but we protect them, we're enemies."

"Sir," Kross asked Vex

Vex hadn't spoken until now, absorbing all the information in front of him and formulating a plan. It was gonna be pretty either way, but it was better then doing nothing while everyone around him paniced. So then he rose slowly, as everyone in the room turned to him.

"We were brought here against our will," he started,"we don't know how nor why, but we've survived. That's what we do."

He grabbed his clipboard and then started listing off orders

"Effective immediately," he said

1. Civilian Rehabilitation Camps will begin quiet integration of rescued Faunus into safe ERA zones.
2. The Civic Progress Council will begin cultural and linguistic research based on testimony and drone data.
3. Federal Command Assembly will form an observation detachment to monitor the nearest Kingdom-Vale.
4. Iron Codex will begin drafting non-aggression legal doctrine, in preparation for first diplomatic contact."

He got many nods and "Yes sir", then looked to Elias

"And you, Sgt. Major, will return to Lykos," he said,"and if he's willing, he'll help us build the roadmap through this world. Not as a guide but as a partner, to help those in need and wanting to escape enslavement."

"Understood sir," Elias saids as he saluted

"We have a new mission everyone," Vex spoke up,"to learn this world and to see where we fit in it."

Today has marked the arrival of the Enclave, tomorrow will see if they will fight alongside these people...or against them.