Chapter 1
A tall figure stood at the edge of a cracked concrete landing pad, silhouetted by the setting sun. Behind him a sprawling rail terminal bustled with activity even as daylight faded. This was literally the end of the line. The furthest the Kingdom of Vale had reached into the heart of the continent. The figure looked out over a wasteland, thinking about the thousands of miles of uninhabited wilderness stretching between this small point of light and similar lights creeping out from Vacuo. The work would continue into the night. If everything went as planned in the next few weeks a new light would appear, pushing back the darkness a little more.
At the sound of approaching engines the figure turned to watch a tilt-rotor airship coming in for a landing. The airship set down but didn't kill its engines. The side door slid open and a group of teenagers jumped out. There were eight in the group, and they all hunched over and ran to get clear of the rotor wash. Once they reached a safe distance the loadmaster kicked out two large black cases and closed the door. The airship went light on its skids and lifted off. The leader of the passengers, a petite girl dressed in red and black, waved cheerfully at the pilot. When he had reached a safe altitude the pilot twitched the aircraft's wings in a salute before circling the pad and departing rapidly toward the northeast.
The eight young men and women naturally shook down into two groups of four, the standard size for a Beacon Academy training team. They checked weapons and adjusted pack straps, then turned as a group to study the figure walking toward them.
They saw a broad shouldered man, half a head taller than their tallest teammate. He appeared somewhat stretched, like his legs were slightly too long for his torso. He wore clothes designed for extended time in the field. Well broken in boots, khaki pants with leather brush guards covering the legs from mid thigh to ankle, a chamois shirt in a warm brick color. His face was handsome enough, lines deeply etched from years of good humor and living outdoors, but dominated by a larger than average nose. Warm brown eyes were shaded by the wide brim of a battered, almost shapeless hat. Uneven locks of sandy blond hair hung almost to his collar. Like all properly dressed Huntsmen, he was armed. A compact firearm, some sort of bullpup or carbine, rode a shoulder sling.
The strangest thing about the man took a moment to sink in. That beat up old hat had two holes cut in the sides to allow a pair of long pointed ears to stand up from the top of his head. He was a faunus, with apparent equine attributes.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Roan Nelson. I will be your mentor for the next month." His voice was deep and smooth, and he spoke slowly. It was as if he chose his words carefully and expected his audience to be patient while he did so. "Professor Ozpin personally asked me to take you under my wing for this mission. Your headmaster indicated that a trip into howling wilderness inhabited by thousands of creatures that want to eat you would be preferable to you spending your summer break in Vale, after the disaster at the festival. I gather it turned into a serious clusterfuck, there at the end."
The last statement was made humorously, but the students just looked sheepish. A couple of them blushed at his use of profanity. They'd just have to get used to it. That's how people out here talked. Roan decided to move on. "You have been apprenticed to my team, which has been hired for an escort mission. Can anyone tell me what that will entail?"
The tall blonde girl whispered in her partner's ear, "Apprenticed? That means we're not getting paid, right?"
"That's right Miss Xiao Long. We are providing food, shelter, and all the ammunition you can use, so I wouldn't complain too much." He smiled to take the sting out of his words but Yang stiffened to something like attention anyway. Oh, well. They'd relax eventually. He continued, "Anyone else?"
One of the other girls standing with Yang and her partner raised her hand. White hair, white clothes, a little cold and distant looking, that would be Weiss. The Schnee Dust Company heiress should have some idea what they were trying to accomplish. She might also have some problems with roughing it. Ozpin had forwarded all of the student's files. Roan had memorized their names and other necessary info. He nodded to her.
"Yes, sir. We will be providing convoy security en route and area security once we reach our destination for an expedition attempting to establish a new Dust mining outpost. We will also be conducting sweeps of the work zone to ensure there is minimal threat to the mine workers, support staff, and their families."
"That is an…accurate summary, Ms. Schnee. Let me guess. Oobleck briefed you before you left Beacon, right?" She nodded, confused. "I thought so. That could have come directly from his mouth, just at double speed. Everyone, I have a favor to ask. You're not at school now, and we're not big on formality on the frontier anyway. If I ask a question and you can answer, do so. And drop the 'Sir's. My team would laugh themselves sick if they heard anyone call me that or Mr. Nelson. To my team I'm just Roan, or Boss if you have to use a title. For the duration of the mission I consider you to be part of my team."
Roan looked each of the students in the eye to gauge their reactions. They all gazed back with varying levels of confidence. He saw a group of strong, talented Huntsmen- and Huntresses-in-training and decided to make his feelings clear.
"Ozpin spoke highly of you all. There are few people on Remnant that I hold in higher regard, and so far I agree with his assessment. He said you showed great promise and that one day you would uphold the proud tradition of defending the people of the world. My team is one of the best in the business when it comes to hostile territory escort. Stick close, keep your eyes and ears open, and learn as much as you can. It won't be an easy trip, and you'll work harder than you ever have before. But we'll get you through this, and maybe the next time we work together we'll all be making the big bucks." That finally got a grin out of Yang. The others practically glowed under his praise.
"Everyone grab your gear. We're hitting the trail at the ass crack of dawn tomorrow, so get as much rest as you can. I do want the team leaders to come with me. There's a final meeting with the expedition leaders and Teamsters officers. I'd like you to sit in." Ruby, the girl who had waved so happily earlier, and the blond boy in light armor, Jaune, both nodded their understanding.
Ozpin had included a note in his briefing to keep a close eye on the leader of Team JNPR. Apparently he was more talented than first impressions indicated. If nothing else he had a set of giant brass balls for trying to put one over on Ozpin. That was probably why Jaune had gotten a chance at Beacon in the first place.
Yang and Nora, the shorter redheaded girl from Team JNPR, each grabbed one of the heavy looking cases and easily slung them onto one shoulder. Roan just grinned. They were still growing them tough at Beacon. The whole group started walking toward the buildings of the rail depot. Roan was stopped by a quiet voice behind him. He waved the others ahead and turned to look at Ruby.
"Mr. N…Roan, Boss?" She stuttered bashfully. "I really like weapons and I especially like seeing new ones andIwaswonderingifIcouldlookatyoursplease?" Her speech had steadily increased in speed, until the last sentence came out as one long word. That had been in another note from Ozpin. The girl was absolutely adorable, but also absolutely deadly with her giant sniper-scythe. You just had to accept her constant level of enthusiasm.
Roan shrugged out of his weapon's sling and opened the action, expertly catching the ejected shell as it flew through the air. He showed Ruby the empty chamber before handing it over so she could get a closer look. The metal parts were coated matte black and the polymer parts had looked the same. On closer inspection they were actually dark midnight blue. While she took in every detail he rattled off the specs that only another weapon nut would appreciate.
"I call it Vagantem. It's a pump action bullpup shotgun. Dual magazine tubes with a manual selector switch. Left and right for the respective mags, center is a cut-off to load one shell at a time." Ruby flipped the switch and watched a bright red shell drop into the open chamber. She nodded in understanding, reset the switch, and handed the shell to Roan as he continued, "You can load the mags through the loading port behind the pistol grip, but I've modified the tubes to be removable for a faster combat reload. Hit the catch, both tubes drop out, shove in two more, fourteen new shells ready to go. You'll notice the ejection port is way back in the stock. If you ever have to shoot it, don't shoot southpaw or you'll eat hot brass and plastic."
"That's okay," Ruby said brightly. "I can switch hit."
Roan reached his favorite part of any weapon demonstration. "There's a reinforced rib running down the top of the barrel, receiver, and stock. Good for stopping claws and teeth and other nasty things. If something's really trying to eat your face you do this…" He activated the transformation sequence and Ruby watched in delight as the shotgun turned into a battle-ax in her hands.
What had looked like an oversized sight blade folded out of the top of the barrel. It pulled several triangular sections of metal with it. When they locked together in place they formed a curved ax blade with a vicious upswept point. The blue theme continued on the blade. Each section was coated in glossy dark blue enamel. The coating and the bare edge of the blade glittered wickedly in the last rays of the sun. A spike popped out of the underside of the muzzle, opposite the blade. The stock extended into a haft and the pistol grip folded down, leaving the trigger exposed. The butt of the stock stayed in place on the end of the haft, forming a counter weight.
Roan took back his weapon and dropped into a combat stance, showing Ruby how he gripped the haft. One hand high on the forend slide, the other low on the haft, thumb near the trigger. He ran through a few slashes, stabs, and blocks and finished the demonstration by saying, "Aside from the obvious, the barrel isn't obstructed, so it can still fire in ax mode. There's also a heavy Burst Dust charge with a slam trigger in the butt pad. If you have to move something, hit it hard, the pressure sets off the dust, it'll move. Now if your curiosity is satisfied, we need to get your team settled, then you, Jaune, and I have a meeting to attend."
Roan and Ruby walked away, with Ruby babbling continuously about his weapon, her weapon, weapons she'd seen other people use, and weapons she wanted to build someday. Roan listened intently, occasionally breaking in with his own opinions.
Yang and Weiss had watched the entire exchange. Yang looked bemused. Weiss looked like she was fighting off a migraine.
"That really just happened, didn't it?" Weiss said acidly. "He's as bad as she is. This is going to be a long mission."
Yang threw her arm over Weiss's shoulders in a move that was half hug, half headlock. "Don't worry so much, Ice Queen. It'll give you wrinkles. Our boss is happy, her boss is happy. A happy chain of command makes for happy subordinates. Come on, it was a long flight and I'm tired."
Weiss shrugged out from under the offending arm and walked away, still fuming. "At least I won't have that stupid bed hanging over me tonight." She muttered angrily.
Roan, Jaune, and Ruby reached the site where the meeting would be held, having safely delivered teammates and gear to their quarters. The building wasn't much to look at, just a pre-fab singlewide trailer that had been dropped next to one of the gravel paths that criss-crossed the rail yard. A bare bulb hung suspended from its wire over the door, casting a pool of dim light. More light shone through the windows.
Just as the three Huntsmen reached the light a shape detached itself from the shadows at the end of the trailer and walked toward them. A very feminine shape that didn't walk so much as glide, all grace and poise, each motion controlled. Jaune felt his breathing hitch as he waited for the light to reveal the woman's features.
Before he could get any idea of her appearance a voice snapped out of the darkness, pointed and angry. "It's about time you got here. Those pricks in there are getting ready to kill each other, and then we'll be out of a job." Jaune and Ruby flinched.
Roan just sighed and made introductions. "Sylvie Llamrei, these are the leaders of our trainee teams, Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc. Sylvie is the support mage for my team and my partner these many years."
Sylvie finally stepped into the light. While not as tall as her partner, she was taller than average, her eyes almost on a level with Jaune's. Those eyes were a bright, piercing green, currently radiating anger at the world. Her face was more striking than beautiful, with high cheekbones and a strong jaw. A few thin lines were visible at the corners of her eyes and mouth. Her hair was long and wavy, reaching the middle of her back in a sheet of glossy black heavily threaded with silver. The silver hairs caught the light, giving her locks the appearance of polished steel.
Like Roan, she was dressed for comfort and function, rather than style. A pale green blouse was tucked into a darker green skirt that fell to mid calf, almost meeting the tops of a pair of soft suede boots. A green headband held the hair back from her face. She wasn't carrying a visible weapon, but that didn't mean much with a skilled Dust user.
Sylvie turned to the young team leaders. They both flinched again, expecting a verbal lashing. To their surprise, she smiled with genuine warmth and held out her hand. "Jaune, Ruby, it's a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to working with you both."
Greetings completed, Sylvie turned back to her partner, all warmth vanishing. "Watch it with that 'many years' crap. I'm not that old. You still haven't told me what you're going to do about this mess."
Roan sighed again, ears laying back as a visible sign of his irritation. "We'll handle it, Sylvie. We always do."
Jaune decided to speak up. "Uh, Boss? Is there something wrong we need to know about?" Roan turned to look at him and he continued nervously, "It's just, if it comes to violence I'd like to know which way to duck."
Roan snorted. "Nothing like that. I don't have time to give you the whole story now, but unfortunately Sylvie is right. Our employer is an arrogant jackass and he's hired another jackass that we have to work with. Like I said, I'll handle it. Don't let anyone walk over you in there, but don't let anything they say get to you, either. Remember, Huntsmen are professionals. We were hired to do a job, and we'll do it. Without letting personal feelings get in the way. Got it?"
Jaune and Ruby nodded. Roan turned to enter the trailer, having to climb a couple of steps to do so. Sylvie followed him, muttering under her breath. "One of these days I'm going to say 'screw professionalism' and someone's going to get the beating they deserve."
Jaune laughed a little. "Well, now we know what Weiss will be like in thirty years."
Ruby giggled. "They do sound alike, don't they? Let's get this over with."
They both climbed up to the door and stepped through into the brightly lit interior. The trailer was one open room with a large table and a few chairs in the center. Six men sat around the table, split into two groups. Three of the men wore suits and ties; the others blue mechanic's jumpsuits. They all looked up as the Huntsmen entered.
Before he even said anything Roan picked up a coffee pot and foam cup from a side table. After he poured, he looked at his teammates with an unspoken question. Sylvie and Jaune shook their heads, but Ruby nodded and said, "I'll take a cup. Cream and five sugars, please."
This earned a derisive snort from one of the jump-suited men, an aggressive little fireplug with wiry black hair and dark blue eyes. "'Cream and five sugars'" He imitated nastily. "Do you think you're still in Vale, girly? We never get real cream out here, and sugar costs more than Dust. Nelson, what the hell is this? Bring your kid to work day?"
Ruby scowled, but didn't say anything. Roan handed her a cup and spoon and pointed to a canister of powdered creamer. "Better than nothing" he said with a shrug. He surreptitiously dropped something into her hand. She glanced down and saw several paper packets of sugar. He winked at her and she replied with a grin.
Roan turned to address the short man who had spoken and the room in general. "Nothing like that, Randall. Everyone, this is Ruby Rose. The young man with her is Jaune Arc. They lead the two trainee teams that will be working with my team to provide security for the convoy and mine."
Randall snorted again. "My convoy being guarded by a bunch of kindergarten escapees. That makes me feel so much better." His words practically dripped sarcasm.
Roan did his best to be reassuring. "All of the students placed very well in their final exams at Beacon last year. And I received glowing recommendations from their teachers." Randall didn't look encouraged, but he didn't say any more.
One of the suited men at the other end of the table gestured for attention. Brown hair, brown eyes, height and weight, everything about the man was average. Nothing about him would garner a second look, except for the intelligent, almost obsessive gleam in his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was intense and overbearing, matching his gaze more than his looks. "I must admit I'm concerned about bringing inexperienced Huntsmen on this expedition. I am risking a great deal to finance a mining outpost, and I don't want to lose my investment due to someone's mistake."
Roan addressed these doubts the same as the previous ones. "Mr. Sommer, Huntsman Command in Vale deemed this an appropriate mission for students with their level of experience. Professor Ozpin personally selected these teams when I needed additional manpower."
Sommer smiled, but it wasn't a pleasant expression. "Professor Ozpin, of course. Mr. Nelson, you may not have realized this, spending most of your time in the wilderness, but Ozpin's influence with the Vale council is in decline. His name doesn't carry nearly the weight it used to. If you feel these children can handle the mission, so be it. But you will be held responsible if you are wrong."
Roan very carefully did not let his opinion of Sommer show in his face or voice. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, I believe you had some questions about the expedition?"
"I do, indeed." Sommer confirmed. "Let's get started."
Sommer had questions, all right. He was a micromanager of the worst kind. He claimed that he wanted everything done the correct way. What he really meant was he wanted things done his way, even if his way made no sense. He wanted to change the route that the convoy would take. He nitpicked lists of supplies and equipment that had been finalized weeks before. If there was a single detail of the plan he could put his own stamp on he did so, or at least tried.
Over the next hour Ruby and Jaune got a lesson in Huntsman leadership that they hadn't gotten at Beacon. Roan gained control of the meeting almost immediately. When one of Sommer's "suggestions" was completely unreasonable, Roan calmly and clearly explained why it wasn't going to happen. Some of the things Sommer came up with didn't make any difference either way, so Roan let them go in the interests of choosing his battles.
Unfortunately Randall made the situation even worse. Anything Sommer wanted was immediately met with stiff-necked refusal by the teamsters leader. The abrasive little man was jealously protective of his "prerogatives as commander of the convoy." In fact he used that exact phrase several times. Whenever Sommer and Randall were at an impasse, instead of directly contradicting either man Roan would offer an alternative that was at least acceptable to everyone involved.
When the meeting finally broke up all of Sommer's questions had been addressed. They had a plan that, while not perfect or satisfactory, was tolerable. Better yet, it wasn't actively suicidal.
The three groups went their separate ways. When the Hunters were out of earshot Roan stopped and stared into the night, fists clenched and chest heaving as he tried to calm down.
Ruby hesitantly placed her hand on Roan's elbow. She tried for his shoulder, but she couldn't comfortably reach that high. "Roan, are you okay?"
Roan looked down at Ruby's worried face and smiled slightly. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just because I'm good at herding cats doesn't mean I like doing it."
Jaune still looked a little stunned from the meeting. "Does that happen a lot?"
"You have no idea." Roan shook his head in exasperation. "Some of these idiots think they get to boss me around because they paid me. I'm paid to keep them alive. I can't always do that and keep them happy at the same time."
"Now you know why I didn't get involved. They wouldn't be alive or happy if they tried that shit on me," Sylvie snarked lightly.
Roan let out a final explosive sigh and started walking again. "Let's get some rest. I think we've earned it tonight."
AN: I've been sitting on this for a while. I wanted to get a few more chapters done before I posted, but then volume 3 shot everything out of the water. So I'll put it up and if there's enough interest I'll continue it as an AU. Let me know what you think.