A/N: I don't own RWBY or Mass Effect. If I did, I wouldn't be writing about it.
March 27th, Year Unknown
Emerald Forest, Kingdom of Vale
"Ugh…" I groaned out, hearing the faint beeping of the impact alarm going off beside my head. "What the hell.. happened last night Sal?" I continue holding my eyes shut to attempt to ward off the headache I feel building around my implant.
I try reaching up to rub my eyes before realizing I can't move my arm. 'Oh crap oh crap' I panic, opening my eyes to look down at myself, before laughing. 'I'm an idiot, my arm is just stuck in the crash web.. webbing...'
"Uhh, Sal?" I glance around the pod, seeing nothing but the empty seats in front of me. 'The hell, I know she was in here. That one marine guy too.' I start trying to undo the straps holding into the seat, deciding that maybe they were outside getting fresh air. 'Though why they left me wouldn't make any sense. I'm right by the door, they wouldn't have missed me.'
Finally prying the lock off the seat, I slide down onto the floor, content to rest for a second and check myself for injuries. 'John always said first step was to make sure I wasn't broken. Can't help anyone if I'm messed up.' Glancing around again, I flick my wrist to pull up my omni-tool, pausing when I don't see the orange glow out of the corner of my eye.
"Oh, you have to be kidding me." I lift my arm up to my eyes, pulling back the sleeve to inspect the emitter band wrapped around my wrist. It's so obviously fried that the only question I have is "Why the hell is my arm not burned?" On closer inspection I realize another, even more confusing fact.
'A Nexus IV? This is Sal's o-tool. Only she would have something so expensive when she's barely 80.' I disconnect the busted hardware, tossing it aside as I resign myself to the old-fashioned way from when I was a kid: poke and see if it hurts.
I find, during my fully professional check-up, that my only problem is a small piece of metal in my lower thigh. 'How did I not even notice this?' I laugh to myself, before pulling out the remains of my pouch of medi-gel. "Damn. I'm gonna need more after this." I grab a piece of my crash webbing that's hanging beside me and bite down on it, before yanking out the shard and smothering the cut with the last little bit of the miracle healing mud.
Dropping everything, I lay back on the floor and try to relax as I feel my adrenaline pump, the echo of my definitely manly scream fading in my ears. "Sal?" I try calling out, hoping she can hear me from outside
Hearing no answer, I sit up and start at the door to the pod, tilting my head to the side. 'The hatch is still… sealed. The hell?' I jump up, stumbling on my leg before grabbing the wall to steady myself. 'Somethings not right here, this should be unlocked if they exited.'
I limp over to the hatch, glancing at the sparking console before dismissing it and searching for… "There you are, little bugger." I grab my helmet, examining it and finding a large hole in the face mask, and "Dammit, seals are melted, big bust here. And oh, now I'm talking to myself, joy of joys."
'Well, either this planet has breathable air, or it's not my problem anymore' I sigh, moving back to the hatch and pressing the four egress buttons on the edges of the frame. "Warning: Emergency egress explosives activated. Please stand clear of the door." I lean back, grabbing my Phalanx off my hip and readying a barrier as I get ready for anything.
"What the actual FUCK are you?!" I shout, shooting at the bear-like creature attacking me. I'd already dealt with its friend, and had taken a hit that had tossed me into a tree like a charging krogan when I stopped to stare at the dissolving corpse. 'This thing is huge, but at least it isn't fast. I can fight this.'
I jump back from a large paw that tried grabbing my leg, trying to let my handgun cool down as I take a breath and prep a throw. "Let's see how you like this big boy!" I shout tossing my biotics in a curve that catches the bear on the side, propelling it into a tree, and causing a satisfying crunch to echo through the clearing. I lean over and place my hands on my knees, eager for a breather after the sudden fight. Sighing I move to holster my pistol before hearing a growl from where I downed the bear. 'Still alive? Hits like a krogan, tough as a-' my thought is cut off as I glance up at a creature that was definitely not the bear.
'Is that… a werewolf?' I think, backing up as I raise my pistol once more. 'Hahah, now I know I'm losing it. Werewolves.' The beast creeps towards me before suddenly breaking out into a dash, flinging itself across the clearing. I barely have time to fire off a shot or two before I'm flying across the clearing again, feeling my hardsuit crunch as I impact a large rock on the opposite side. "Dear God that hurt" I groan, before I have to dodge to the side to avoid the beast again.
Standing back up as the werewolf shakes its head from hitting the boulder, I take a second to charge my biotics in my fist while searching for my pistol. I spot it a small distance away, deciding to leave it for now in favor of my powers. 'Got to be careful, I'm already weak and consistent use is making me oh so tired.'
Turning back to my foe I let out a small growl and toss out my throw like an uppercut, sending the creature up into the air a few feet before it falls back to the ground with an audible thud. "Just give up and run dammit, even animals are smart enough to know that!" I cry out, tired of the battle already. Of course with my luck, the beast just had to ignore my reasonable plea and turn itself to face me again, beginning a noticeably slower run.
"Fuck it" I mutter, giving a small pull as smiling as the creature stumbles and slides on its face to rest a few feet from me. "Just die already!" I cover my fists in a biotic glow and swing like a hammer, smashing it's head into the ground, and flinching as I feel my hands pass through after a little resistance. "Oh eww" I moan, falling back onto my rear as it begins to dissolve in front of me.
Groaning, I begin searching for any other threats, my adrenaline pumping as I carefully walk back to my weapon. After seizing it and spending a few minutes prowling the perimeter, I decide the danger had passed and flop back onto the dirt to take a few calming breaths. 'Could this get any worse?' I think to myself, beginning to check my remaining gear.
"Ah, it can." I notice that my chest plate, having valiantly saved my life, had been rewarded with a nice, and surprisingly straight, crack across the back of it, in addition to the many scuffs and scratches of being beaten around like a baseball. 'Well, better bad protection than none I guess.' Sighing once more, I decide my scouting trip is over and pick myself up and head back down the path to my pod.
'Alright, time for a status check.' The sky outside had darkened as I had made it back to the crash site, and I was currently inside the pod with a pile of everything I could find that looked useful. At least I knew what most of it was, even if I hadn't used it before. 'Step one, my health. Hole in leg, check and healing. Broken bones, none, amazingly.' The fight I had with the local wildlife had me feeling confident I could take a tree on again while in flight. Stretching my arms, I stifled a groan as I felt pain throb at the movement.
"Bruises, definite check, star, and circle." My chest was killing me, to say nothing for my back. I had removed most of my hardsuit to examine the damage more thoroughly and discovered that the split on the back was deep enough that I could feel it through the layer of impact padding on the inside of the chest piece.
'Gear next. And big surprise, there isn't much in this damn thing.' I stared down at the handful of objects in front of me, sighing at my luck. A broken omni-tool band, belonging to my friend. I close my head as I remember her, knowing that the chances of seeing her again are slim to none. No-one deserves to die in space, or however it was that my classmate had come to be missing.
"I'm sorry" I whisper, a tear sliding down my face even as I sat back up and wiped the evidence away. I hadn't known her for all that long, but we had been fast friends. 'Mourn later, survive now.' My next thought brought me back to my collection, and my next item, my pistol. I had removed the ammo block to see it roughly missing a quarter of the block, and apart from a few dents and scratches, seemed serviceable enough. Next up was an item I always had with me, though its usefulness had never mattered until I realized I was out of medi-gel.
'An old first aid kit. At least I can care for myself if I get hurt again.' The kit was outdated, not particularly large, but it contained a few items I knew I might need in the coming days. Thankfully I knew a little first aid, having been taught at my school the importance of know how to help with mild injuries when the miracle paste ran out. Saleria had always teased me about keeping it, but I couldn't help but wonder if she'd have known how to use it anyway if she and the marine were here too.
'Speaking of…' Next item on my list was the piece of metal I had pulled out of my leg. On closer inspection it had been revealed to be a broken piece of a badge, similar to the one my brother and most Alliance members wore on their combat hardsuits. I could make out the remains of a zero and a three, and had gathered it belonged to one of the marines of the 103rd that had been stationed at Grissom.
'Poor man probably was just expecting an easy station, before heading back home to his family. Now, he won't have the chance..' I caught myself tearing up again, and sniffed before looking away to the last few items. A broken multitool that was sitting alone inside a hardware compartment, a few cigarettes that must have been stashed in my helmet from the last time I smoked, and a single, large, thermite grenade.
"Now, what to do with you.." I pondered the grenade, knowing the reason it was there. If the pod fell behind enemy lines, the occupants were supposed to use it to destroy the internal systems and prevent anything from being gathered from the wreckage. On the other hand, it was a weapon I could use on this planet.
I sighed, knowing that the grenade probably wouldn't help against the wildlife if they were fast enough to just dodge it, but I had yet to see any sign of civilization during my short hike through the surrounding area. Destroying my pod seemed a useless idea, so in my indecision I went to the voice that always helped my make choices.
"In a survival situation, think before you act. This is important, because you need to know that you'll never be prepared for the things you'll encounter, no matter how hard you try. Say you crash and with you are a shotgun, rifle, pistol, and a box of Mister E's. What would you take with you?" The boy stops to think, wondering where his brother is going with this.
"Can I take it all J?" He looks up curiously, smile falling when the young man starts to laugh. "You can try bud, but look at you. You're thin, fast, and not the strongest man in the world." He laughs again as the kid pouts, kicking his foot at the older boy. "I'm not saying you always will be, but you're built more for speed, like myself. Try again kid."
"I'm not a kid, I'm 10 years old! I'm already stronger than Janey too! And I guess I'll take the rifle and pistol and some of your nasty space food.." The man chuckles, sitting on a log and patting beside him. As the younger boy hops up he speaks "That's a good choice, but what if there's a village nearby? If you waste energy carrying the food for nothing, you'll just be tired if an attack comes. On the other hand, if there's nothing nearby, and no wildlife that might attack you, the weight of the rifle can do the same thing." He smiles, pulling the kid beside him into a hug that he struggles out of. "Oh, and don't think just because you might be stronger than your cousin you can beat her up. I know for a fact all her dancing lessons make it easier for her to jump away and tickle you to death."
The young boy looks up, shocked. "She told you about that?! She's so mean!" His scowl is broken his brother's laughter again. "Don't laugh at me! And what's the point of your question then if I can't take anything?" The man sighs and lets his laughter die down, wrapping an arm around his younger brother.
" There's not always a choice bud. If you know you can use the weapons, take what you need. Same for the food. Maybe later you get into a fight, and should have had the extra gun. Maybe you have to eat little because you didn't bring enough food. Just know that whatever happens, you made a choice where someone else might have been too scared to. And you aren't scared are you?" He glances down, grinning at the conviction in the child's eyes.
"I'm not scared of anything! And one day I'll prove it, and I'll save you from being crashed somewhere when you're scared!" The man chuckles and wraps the boy in a hug. "I know you will buddy, I'll be waiting for you if it happens."
I sigh as I remember John's words, knowing that I would make the wrong choice anyways because of course I would. "Alright, grenade for the pod. So far I haven't seen any animal that I would need you for anyways." Sighing again, I pick myself up and step outside to check again for anything nearby. Nothing catching my eye, I turn to go back into the pod to sleep, freezing as something I had managed to miss during my hike back makes and appearance.
'The hell is up with that moon? It look like someone crashed a meteor into it or something.' Shaking my head, I look again to be sure. Yep, broken moon. Definitely odd, this planet was. I walk back into the pod, resolving to leave in the morning and begin a search for, hopefully, friendly life.
A/N: So, did a rewrite of the story after a review had me reread it. I won't say this is any better, but that up for you all to decide. This was supposed to be uploaded sooner, but after a week of hospital visits thanks to work, I only just now finished it. Enjoy, and don't be shy to review if you have any ideas on something that I should improve on.