AN: Hello, some time no see, even though it exam's season up here in Canada, I couldn't really get this idea out of my head. I'm a huge steampunk and sci-fi fan, so I thought why not. Hope you enjoy the first chapter. (Warning: Pyrrha is slightly OOC for now, totally different history and background. She will come around later, just letting you know).
Disclaimer: RWBY is the rightful property of RoosterTeeth
Prologue: The Red Hue of Waning Dusk
"Discover consists of seeing what everybody has seen, and thinking what nobody has thought"
- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
A young boy sat in his mother's lap, watching the red horizon with innocent glee. As the sun began to set and the colours of the sky began to wane, the pair could only sit in awed silence at sight of it, admiring the bright beauty of the setting sun as it gave way to the growing magnificence of nightfall. It was a sight that would forever instill a love of the sky within the boy. A love so strong and so pure that it blossomed, giving way to his desires, a yearning to reach, to fly, to explore, and to discover what none have ever laid eyes upon.
The mother told stories to the boy, tales of bravery, chivalry, and most of all adventure, all things that instilled a kind heart and an ambitious soul within the boy. This continued for years, night after night, the two would spend underneath the stars, sharpening their wits, one as a mentor and parent, while the other as student and son.
Across the horizon, there sat a girl watching in awe at the scene unfolding before her, a duel between men, swift, dangerous, but beautiful under the rising sun. The swift movements of her father in battle, the clashing of swords, shields, and fists enamoured her mind, but it was in victory when her heart truly soared. Each time her father emerged victorious, each moment a tally could be added to his long list of accomplishments, inspired the girl to emerge victorious herself, giving way to her desires to surpass, to conquer, and to soar, reaching unprecedented heights that few have ever dreamed of, let alone reached.
The father recounted history to the girl, times of hardship, trial, but most of all times of well-earned triumph, all things to instil a mind and heart that would strive for victory at all times within the girl. This continued for years, day after day, the two would spend underneath the sun, sharpening their blades and mind, one as a conqueror and parent, while the other as apprentice and daughter.
But as all things in life, nothing remains so clear or simple. Just as a chapter must finish before another can begin, all good things must come to pass. As the day gives way to the night, disappointment gives way to darkness, and darkness to corruption. Yet, the night must give way to the dawn, and so to must corruption yield to the possibility of redemption. After all, nothing remains untouched by the passing of time, neither the good nor the bad, neither the highs nor the lows; everything is under the command of time.
Chapter 1: The Goddess of Victory
"Always seek out the seed of triumph in every adversity"
-Og Mandino
'It was a simple escort mission they said, nothing to worry about they said, a relatively simple task for a relatively new captain they said. Then how in bloody Oum's name do you explain these BLASTED NEVERMORES!' A certain blonde captain swore internally, as he stood on the deck of his ship dodging Nevermores by a hair's breadth, wondering just why he was possibly cursed with the worst luck in all of Remnant.
The deck of the ship was in utter chaos, sounds of gunfire and dust explosions reverberated throughout the air, as all crew, men and women, human and Faunus, fought for their lives against the aerial Grimm.
'This was supposed to be an easy day. One more box on the checklist. Just escort some cargo to Vale they said, keep an eye on pirates they said, nobody mentioned that we were crossing paths with a mass Nevermore MIGRATION! I can see the news now, Captain Jaune Arc, age 28, was killed when an oversized, overcooked, chicken dinner refused to fulfil its destiny."
"Captain," a voice resounded within the blonde's earpiece, "We're losing firepower. We've lost two deck guns, alongside two port side and four starboard side, sir!"
He paused his grumblings long enough to behead a Nevermore, before replying curtly, "DUST DAMNIT. Petty Officer, go find some engineers and get those guns back up and running!" The captain ducked underneath another set of talons, immediately taking a blind swing after recovering in retaliation.
As the battle raged on, the captain continued moving throughout the deck of his ship, striking at whatever foe got too close, while relaying orders to nearby men. "ENSIGN, GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR, YOUR PAYCHECK'S AT STAKE! MOVE SEAMAN, I REFUSE TO HAVE ANOTHER FUNERAL TODAY; LT. LIE, ON ME!"
"Yes sir." A magenta-eyed officer replied over the chaos, aligning swiftly with the blonde after dodging a Nevermore's assault with impressive dexterity. "What are your orders?"
"We Lieutenant, are going to roast some birds. Round up some men and some fire dust cylinders, we're firing the 'Edelweiss'." The lieutenant curtly nodded, running swiftly through the battlefield towards the one possibility that might save all their asses.
Another Nevermore dove beak-first for the blonde captain, viciously aiming to slay him in one fatal swoop. "Well then, you overcooked dinner. How'd you like this!?" He blocked the assault with a vigorous strike, slamming his kite shield into the Grimm's head, halting its motion for a single moment. Nonetheless, it was the only moment that the captain needed to lacerate its wings, and swiftly finishing it by puncturing its head with his blade.
Nevermore after Nevermore repeated the cycle, they would dive from the sky in an attempt to overcome the captain, but time and time again, he would block and strike, utilizing almost a decade of military training to slay the monsters that laid siege to his ship and consignment.
As the number of Grimm began to dwindle, they became incrementally more vicious, diving towards the weakened crew in more concentrated numbers with a rancorous desire to maim and to feast. But the crew remained steadfast, huddling together in defensive positions as Grimm swarmed the deck. Each dive by the Grimm was met with a valiant counter by the crewmen, strikes aimed to pierce their tough wings, shields raised to defend against their feathers, and shots fired to maim the creatures of darkness. It was no longer a simple bout to the death; it was battle of attrition between the Grimm's sheer numbers and the crew's ammunition supply.
The battle raged on throughout the deck, accented by the growing loss of life that accompanied the taste of battle. The blonde captain continued his battle against the nightmarish creatures, progressing through the deck of the ship from one side to the other, slaying Grimm as efficiently as the circumstances allowed.
He dodged yet another pair of claws, striking at its feet in hopes of crippling the blasted creature, only for his blade to be met by air, alongside the arrival of a much larger problem. Circling above the deck of the ship was an Ancient Nevermore, grown large and wise in its age, it was not an easy opponent to take down with a squadron, let alone a single crippled airship.
'I swear to Oum I have to worst luck.' The captain cursed silently, observing the Grimm warily. It had a wingspan of approximately 10 meters, a width large enough to cover upper deck itself. Protective armour plates had grown over its head, leaving little to aim for, while its feathers were probably tougher than the steel plating that adorned the airship's hull.
"Captain, we're in position to fire." A voice resounded in the blonde's ear.
"Excellent, Lieutenant aim for the Ancient one, look for big, black, and needlessly ugly. Wait for my signal."
"Sir."
The captain twirled his sword once or twice, preparing for the engagement of a bloody lifetime. He dashed to meet the Nevermore in combat, battering his sword and shield together to garner its attention.
The Nevermore released a volley of its feathers, piercing the deck, but barely skimming him after a nimble roll. The captain continued on his way, lifting his shield to intercept any projectiles, while projecting his aura to increase his speed before jumping in the air to strike at the beast.
The strike went wide as the Grimm retreated into sky. A moment thereafter, it swiftly turned to dive headfirst at the now vulnerable midair target. However, the captain wasn't one to simply resign himself to fate; he was much too stubborn to go gently into the night. With a swift twist of his body, he dodged the Nevermore's strike, using the momentum to slam his shield into the side of its head, stunning the beast. Capitalizing on the opportunity, he plunged his blade deep into the Nevermore's skull, forcing it to retreat further into the sky, allowing the captain to land rather peacefully on the ship's deck.
With the Ancient Nevermore in retreat, many of the smaller Grimm followed suit, flying further into the horizon, but Grimm were not creatures deserving of mercy.
"Lieutenant Lie, if you would do the honours…" At his command, a discharge of solid light was fired into the distance, eradicating all trace of the large retreating nightmare, while scattering the smaller Nevermore in total disarray. Shortly thereafter, cheers resounded throughout the ship at their well-earned victory, as Jaune let out a sigh of relief.
"How goes the damage report Ren?" After the end of their skirmish, the captain had taken upon the task of surveying the ship personally, working together with the lieutenant to discover any complications that may be a risk in future encounters. Ren was dressed in standard Atlas military garb, white and pristine, highlighted with shades of gray, embodying the concept of professionalism.
"Lieutenant, sir…"
"Ren, we already talked about this. You're essentially family at this point, so drop the formalities outside of formal meetings and battle."
The magenta-eyed officer released a weary sigh at his captain and long-time friend, wondering just how the man was able to show such a dichotomy inside and outside of battle. "Cap- Jaune, the initial damage reports are in. Two anti-air dust deck armaments, two portside guns, and four starboard were damaged during the Nevermore encounter; although repairs are already under way, the two portside guns are a total loss and must be restored at the next military–grade shipyard. Parts of the hull have been breached at all sides; nonetheless, it's the bow that's taken the brunt of it. We've also lost a dust engine on the starboard quarter side, decreasing turning speed by an initial approximate of 10%, while the possibility of a complete restoration to maximum capacity is still in question. It was fortunate that it was a secondary engine rather than the primary."
"We definitely were…" The captain narrowed his eyes in thought. "How are our dust storages?"
"Bad. We've used quite a large percentile of our reserves, especially after we fired the 'Edelweiss'. I don't think we can afford to fire it again without putting the rest of our weapons in an inoperable state." Ren let out another weary sigh.
"Do we have any alternatives?"
"We could shut down a number of secondary engines, funnelling the dust into an emergency reserve for the 'Edelweiss', but our 'ETA' would probably double because of it."
Jaune cringed at the idea of doubling an already drawn out journey. Not only would it affect the morale of an already tired crew, but it would force their consignment, the cargo ship 'Gallia', to slow down to a snail's pace to remain under their protection. Additionally, it would also be rather detrimental to his health. It had taken years of the captain's life to get over his airsickness, as he climbed up the ranks to his somewhat ironic position of airship captain, but he still felt its effects creeping up on him every once in a while when he was utterly exhausted.
"How is our accompaniment the 'Gallia'?"
"We've gotten a short message from the crew, they sustained little to no damage during the encounter. They thanked us again for the escort."
The captain breathed out a sigh of relief, 'Well what'd you know? A silver lining.'
"Ren, are we in the vicinity of any other vessels? Preferably Atlesean or Valean…"
"Captain Winchester's 'Crusade' is in the immediate vicinity according to our navigation systems."
"Dust dammit; the one captain in the entire fleet who hates my guts for no bloody reason is the only one in our immediate vicinity?" The officer merely nodded silently.
"See if you can hail him over the remote CCT onboard, keep my name out of it and maybe he'll act decently for once. I'll see myself to the engineering bay, lieutenant."
They separated at a crossroad within the ship, echoing two distinctive sets of receding footsteps, one in quiet determination, and the other in swift abandon. It didn't take long for the captain to arrive in the engineering bay. It was typically a quiet place, but the recent battle had goaded the engineers into overdrive. The captain was beholden to the sight of men and women rushing from one complicated piece of machinery to the other, as orders of one form or another loudly echoed throughout the room.
"HEYO Fearless Leader, what brings thee to the engineer bay?" A voice reverberated behind the captain, originating from a bubbly ginger in white overalls, covered in sooth and oil stains.
"Hey Nora, just checking that everything's running smoothly, and yes Nora, Ren did say 'Hi'; but what happened to you, you look terrible…"
"Psshh, this? I was just in the area when a secondary engine decided to go kapoot, but we got this Jaune-Jaune." If it was one thing Jaune appreciated about Nora, aside from her skills as an engineer, it was that she always treated him accordingly to their long history together. Ren, Nora, and him, had spent all of basic training together, alongside almost always being assigned under the same command banner. All of them had rarely served without the others.
"Besides, look at yourself, you're a total mess! All cut up and rugged, who're you trying to impress? Is it Ren?" The engineer began laughing at his oblivious expense.
"What…" It was at that moment that he decided to actually observe his current attire, and boy was it bad. The captain's uniform had been cut open in several places during the Nevermore encounter, and although his aura had taken care of his cuts and most of his bruises, splashes of dried blood remained adorned on these openings. The normally pristine white uniform with decorated ensigns was dyed in a myriad of colours and in complete tatters, giving him the look of wandering nomad rather than a proper Atlesean air captain.
"Mhmmm, sorry Jaune-Jaune, but the rugged look really doesn't suit you."
"Be quiet Nora." He sighed because frankly she was quite right; the remains of battle did no wonders for his complexion. "Never mind that for now, can you get that secondary engine running?"
The engineer was deep in thought, biting her bottom whilst touching her chin with her finger in an attempt to look intellectual. "Probably… But the 3-D printers are running at maximum capacity already, we're trying our best to repair the hull and the lateral guns, so I'm not sure how long it'll take."
"Can you show me the full the extent of the damages then?"
"Aye-aye captain, follow me." Nora mock saluted, albeit she really should've been quite serious considering the fact that he was indeed her commanding officer.
The two walked over the large holo-table in the center of the room, in which Nora inserted a few commands into and pulled up a 3-D display of the air ship. The 'Maid of Orleans' was a beautiful Alpha-class Battlecruiser, sporting a length of approximately 220 m and a width of 33 m. Although it was on the smaller end when compared to others of its class, it was well-equipped and heavily armed, truly a force to be reckoned with. The ship was faster and more manoeuvrable than the battleships of the Atlas fleet, equipped with four secondary dust engines and two primary ones powered by large and valuable dust crystals held in a complicated series of chassis in the heart of the ship. The two primary engines provided the vessel with the ability to swiftly ascend and descend, alongside their relatively fast movement, while the secondary engines provided precise lateral movement and swift turning speeds.
However, these specifications were before any of Nora's 'modifications'. Although the ship was at the moment quite frankly in ruins, in prime condition it outperformed any other ship in its own class by a marginal difference. The myriad of changes that the engineer had made to the ship had caused endless headaches for the blonde captain initially when he had to report it to command, but he was nonetheless thankful for the strength and ingenuity she brought aboard. In addition, a creative set of sails designed by the ginger engineer herself, allowed for a set of evasive manoeuvres in certain situations that no other crew in the fleet could pull without her modifications and instruction.
'The Maid', as the crew affectionately titled the ship, outclassed larger ships in terms of speed, while heavily outgunning smaller ones. It was armed with seven large dust armaments on deck, two facing forward, four facing lateral, and one facing the stern of the ship, while the 'Edelweiss', a heavily modified rail gun, sat comfortably on the upper deck. In addition, both starboard and port side were adorned with five smaller rapid-fire dust guns typically utilized to quickly take down aerial Grimm in a hit-and-run manner. Currently a number of the ship's armaments were coloured red, while two were completely black, signifying which parts deftly needed repairs and which required total overhauls.
"Can we strip any remaining parts from the lost guns to repair anything?"
"Maybe Captain, but that'll mean we're using material that may or may not already be strained and weakened from use. It'll be temporary and all, but it could be damaging to the other guns…" Nora always had an uncharacteristically serious face when discussing the ship.
"Well you're the chief here, you make the call."
Silence descended between the two as the engineer receded into her thoughts, weighing the pros and cons of salvaging already damaged material to repair another. During this brief moment of respite, Jaune returned his eyes to the display in front of him, a display of 'his' ship, under 'his' command, and he could scarcely believe it even after all this time. It's been almost a year since 'The Maid' had been his to command after his promotion to captain, and while most of their journeys had been exploratory missions, there had been no shortage of danger and close encounters. He couldn't help but admire the visual craftsmanship that went into his vessel, from the solid white armour plating that covered the ship, to the two yellow arcs that adorned its port side, serving as his personal insignia within the fleet. In the end, the ship had become his deadly, but nonetheless beautiful home, while its crew his new family, and he would be damned if he would ever lose it without a fight.
"Jau-" Nora's words were immediately interrupted by the sound of a resounding siren.
"Ren, what's going on?" Jaune spoke into his earpiece, praying to high heaven that it wasn't another Nevermore flock that they had to deal with.
"Captain… I recommend that you return to the bridge immediately, we've been hailed…" The lieutenant spoke solemnly, seemingly drained from whatever he was anticipating to encounter.
The blonde grumbled wearily, muttering something about bad luck and its effects on his well-being as he sombrely marched to the bridge. The bridge was a beautiful room in itself, well-designed and pristine, somewhat stuffy, but nonetheless presenting a clear sight of the horizon before them. Unfortunately, the sight that greeted him as he entered the door was far from pleasant.
In the center of the room an image was being projected in real time, and although the contents of the image were quite pleasant, as a gorgeous woman with flowing red hair and vivid green eyes stood at relative ease facing the crew on duty, the implications of this dispatch were not to be taken lightly lest they incur her scorn. Jaune Arc's luck had truly taken an indefinite leave of absence at this point.
"Hello Captain, I don't believe we've been introduced." The woman began politely, subtly hiding a look of interest behind her eyes.
"And I hoped we never would be…" Jaune grimaced, well aware of the woman's reputation, or what little was allowed to be told.
"Don't be like that Captain, I believe we can be very good acquaintances. Perhaps even rivals in battle?"
"Please, what good would it do to associate with a pirate?" The captain eyed the horizon warily, searching for a cloaked ship in the vicinity. 'She must be nearby or else the transmission would have never reached us. Dust Dammit, is she cloaked? No, she might be hiding between the clouds…'
He gave a subtle gesture to his lieutenant, asking him to keep an eye out while relaying a message to the rest of the crew to prepare for another engagement. 'It had to be today of all days, Nevermores, pirates, what's next? Explosive kittens?'
"Privateer is the word you're looking for Captain, and is this the proper way of entertaining a guest, let alone a lady? I was told that you were quite the gentleman, it seems that reality has a way of disappointing expectations."
'You and me both sister, reality's been a bitch today.' Jaune inwardly swore at this turn of events, the ship was damaged, and for all intents and purposes, crippled. He had little to bargain with, and even less to bluff with. "I apologise then, it has been a rather long day. I am Cpt. Jaune Arc of the 65th Atlesean Air-Fleet, under the direct command of Admiral Winter Schnee, and in command of the Alpha-class Battlecrusier, 'The Maid of Orleans'. How may I be of assistance to an unparalleled beauty such as yourself?" He finished off with an exaggerated bow, attempting to hold conversation long enough for a plan to be formulated. In other words, he was desperate and stalling like their lives depended on it, for it probably did, to his dismay. 'After all, where was the fun in a boring and simple life?' He thought sardonically.
"My, my, what a turn of events? I'm almost tempted to invite you onboard for dinner." The lady chuckled in amusement at the captain's stalling tactic, wondering just how long he would be able to keep this charade up. If she hadn't known better, she would've found him to be quite charming. After all, tall, blonde, and relatively scraggly were her preferred characteristics.
"Perhaps, but I don't even know your name." He rolled his eyes at her. "Shouldn't the proper order of things be that you return my introductions first, and then ask me on a date?"
She chuckled at the sarcasm, since very few who knew of her reputation ever gave her the opportunity for banter, most would cower and plead. "I'm quite sure you know who I am captain."
"Humour me anyway. Besides, it's only proper for a 'lady' of your status." He sounded almost sardonic at this point, which brought no end of amusement to her.
"Captain Pyrrha Nikos, at your service, and I must say that it's been a pleasure to meet your acquaintance Jaune." She gave a mock curtsy at the screen, much to the blonde's bemusement.
"Wish I could say the same Ms. Nikos."
The lady continued to speak, exchanging casual banter, while keeping her opponents distracted as her ship circled into position. She signalled her lieutenants, inquiring them about their progress, to which they replied with small nods, signalling that they were just about to ready for the occasion.
'This should be a challenge.' After all, taking cargo under the protection of a fully-armed vessel was no easy feat, especially from one that had garnered such a reputation in a single year, but she was always looking for a challenge.
"Captain, I'd like to make a proposition. You let me take…" She brought her finger to her bottom lip, humouring her crew with a false look of thoughtfulness. "…all of your cargo, and we'll be on our way as better friends?" She couldn't help but laugh inwardly with mirth, she was well aware of the captain's reputation, and she was well aware of how stubborn he could be, but it was nonetheless still entertaining to anticipate his reply.
"Buy me dinner, and then we'll talk." He ended the feed with a smile, one that she found herself returning after the fact. "Well, that was rather amusing." She walked to the center of the bridge to address her crew, brandishing a beautiful smile that left no man, or woman for that matter, uninterested.
"So ladies and gents', what are we doing today?"
"ACHIEVING VICTORY!" The crew was absolutely ecstatic over the prospect of battle, and so was she. At the end of the day, she wasn't looking for cheap glory or material wealth, merely challenges to overcome at her leisure.
"WHO SHALL LEAD YOU?"
"THE GODDESS OF VICTORY!" The name echoed wildly at the thought of impending battle.
AN: So what'd you think? I love this setting personally and I hope I can do it well enough that all of you with come to love it too. I'll address a few concerns straight up before anyone else gets their butt overly clenched.
1. This is an AU, so personality traits of characters will exist in different forms and degrees. They are still the characters you love, but they will represent their traits differently in accordance to their different backgrounds. I will try my best to limit to OOC levels.
2. Is Pyrrha OOC? Yes for now, but she won't be later, it follows the concept of a butterfly effect concerning her background, please be patient and give it time. If you're wondering, I'm altering bits and pieces on how Pyrrha responded to various events in her life (shown soon) that have caused some personality shifts. For example, Pyrrha despised her fame in canon because people put her on a pedestal and she felt alone, but without this circumstance her views of her status may be entirely different. I'm merely taking advantage of this possibility, and will be trying my best to justify her actions and circumstances quite quickly.
3. 'Give them a Show' new chapter? Working on it, no worries for the few of you that love that fic as much as I do.
Well as usual, follow, fav, or leave a review if you have anything to say, and I will happily do my best to improve upon it. Good day ladies and gents.