User blog comment:Zathronas/Analysis by an author: Volume 2 episode 5: Extracurricular./@comment-25358959-20140829142259/@comment-10390252-20140829191756

I did have a 'RWBY on the run' theory for a while but that was in a different context - specifically them being marginalised by the government for drawing attention to unwelcome facts.

No, what I foresee happening as an outcome of the attack on Beacon and, indeed, Cinder's real motive for Phase Two, is several very senior Hunters and Huntresses as well as Beacon upperclassmen either killed or injured bacly enough to be out of action indefinitely in such a public way that the faith of the ordinary people in the Hunters is shaken. This will have two advantages to her plans:


 * 1) It will make the Kingdoms turn to Ironwood's for security. There are some indications that his organisation is already compromised effectively putting both sides of the looming Second Faunus War under her control (a 'Clone Wars' scenario);
 * 2) It will massively undermine civil peacekeeping throughout the world. Although at no point does she expect this attack to eliminate the Hunters, she does anticipate that it will kill or incapacitate several leading figures, meaning that less-experienced operatives will be caring for much larger operational areas. This will make it easier for White Fang and other criminal groups under her direction to operation.

Killing Ozpin (against whom I bet she has a personal vendetta) or at least breaking his heart by slaughtering a large number of his 'children' is just a bonus.

I'm trying to fit a prediction of Cinder's plan into the context of what her greater strategy might be. She's definitely compromised the military so weakening the schools by killing professors, headteachers and senior students would be an attack on another of the pillars of society that Roman kindly identified for us in Painting the Town... It might even work too... if it weren't for those darn kids...!