A/N: Well even though this is a side project; I'm having fun with this. I'm not sure how fast / slow I want to make this, so if you all think I'm taking the story a little too slow; just let me know in the review. Also this story will not only take place on Reach. In fact most of it won't, but those who know the story about this planet and the upcoming engagements; I found a way for them to get off the planet without making it lore breaking. So stay tuned.

Anyways enjoy the next chapter!

July 23, 2552

Aboard UNSC Beacon's Legacy en route to Planet Reach

-09:22-

"So that's what is happening. All requests for passes into New Alexandria have been revoked and denied." Lieutenant Fall announced loudly as she slowly paced back and forth in the locker room. She watched the faces of her soldiers drop to anger, scorn, and confusion; she couldn't blame them.

"Looks like we've been lucky enough to be handpicked to participate in some kind of secret op from an Admiral." Cinder continued boastfully. "It seems like even the high ranking naval guys need the help from us! And who are we?" She asked, her voice rising in note.

She watched the emotions change on her soldiers' faces as they began to become inspired. The once forlorn looks becoming replaced with masks of anticipation, eagerness, and the right amount of cockiness.

"Jump feet first into hell! O.D.S.T.!" All the members shouted back at her, stomping their boots into the ground simultaneously.

Cinder gave her squad one her rare smirks before she continued. "Damn right we are. So suit up and gear up; we got shit to do."

She watched her troopers nod their heads obediently before moving to their lockers to begin gearing up. Turning to her own locker, Cinder recalled the sparse mission details Captain Ozpin had sent to her terminal last night. After Emerald had fallen asleep after they had finished; Cinder returned to her computer and read the last E-Mail that was addressed to her from Ozpin.

As brief as it was, it only went over who their contact was once they had landed on Reach. She and her men would be reporting to a Lieutenant Buckman of Charlie Company. Something about safeguarding a facility where a new project was being developed.

Reading about the sparse mission brief set a few alarms off in Cinder's mind. Baby-sitting structures were not something ODSTs did. And if they were ordered to do so; it'd most likely be an ONI project. That was the next red flag in her head; ONI. She had dealt with them before and would more than anything not want her squad to be exposed to them. She had an inkling that whoever was leading this operation specifically chose her. She knew she could never escape ONI officials; not after she was involved in the ORION project. The Office of Naval Intelligence would always keep their eyes on the surviving members of that assignment.

"Are we going in loud or quiet for this mission, El tee?" Cinder heard Corporal Neo ask; snapping the woman out of her thoughts.

Fastening her black armor chest piece into place; Cinder adjusted it before replying without looking towards the smaller girl. "Take your usual load-outs. I don't think we'll need to go in quiet."

As she continued gearing herself up; finishing with her armor and adjusting her full helmet on, Cinder could hear Neo's excitement building up. Her squad had two different load-out variants that she had determined they would use on missions and operations; depending. Their usual load-outs would consist of the squads predetermined weapons fitting into what they all specialized in plus their secondary. For example since Corporal Neo was the team's heavy weapons specialist, she would carry the M41 SSR MAV/AW rocket launcher as well as an MA37 assault rifle.

But sometimes they would be inserted into specific territories that would warrant lighter gear as well as the certain element of subterfuge. On these special operations, Cinder would order her squad to take the M7S. A silenced submachine gun; and a personal favorite of hers. She usually took it along with her on any mission she jumped into.

Shutting her locker up; Lieutenant Fall watched her crew suit up and walk over to their weapon racks. She watched all of them speak amongst themselves as they outfitted and grabbed their respective weapons. Gunnery Sergeant Torchwick and Sergeant Tukson both grabbing a MA37 assault rifle, Emerald taking her SRS 99 sniper rifle, Mercury opting to take his M45 shotgun as well as an M7S submachine gun, and then finally Neo grabbing a BR55 battle rifle along with her rocket launcher; struggling to carry it on her back; to which Emerald helped the small girl.

Cinder walked towards the weapons rack herself and picked up her usual M7S submachine gun and her sidearm; an M6S or otherwise known as the Automag. A semi-automatic silenced pistol. The raven haired team leader always opted to carry lighter weapons; taking extra ammunition instead of weighing herself down with bulkier guns.

Holstering her weapons and double checking herself one final time; she addressed her squad.

"We'll be on Reach in a few minutes, and although we're not dropping in; treat this like any other combat mission." She started, earning nods from everyone; she could no longer see their faces as everyone was fully geared and helmeted. "Once we land we'll also be getting the newest additions to our team; I've read up on them, they'll fit right in."

"So that means I'm not the FNG anymore?" Mercury asked incredulously.

"No, but you'll always be the dumbest." Roman then informed the younger man, earning a slight chuckle throughout the group and an annoyed grunt from PFC. Black.

Cinder ignored the comments and prepared to continue speaking but was interrupted by Beacon's Legacy's comms sounding off throughout the hull.

"This Captain Ozpin; all hands brace for atmosphere re-entry." The Captain's voice rang out momentarily.

The sudden stillness of the ship was changed by a slight rocking and swaying causing Cinder and her team to wobble a bit.

"Find a seat and hang on." Cinder ordered through her helmet's internal comms; watching her soldiers all sit down on the crates, hanging on to steady themselves.

The vibrations and clanking of various loose weapons and armor in the locker room was deafening, even with her helmet on. Cinder closed her eyes and tilted her head backwards a bit as she fell into thought once more. The feeling was similar to when she was rocketing towards a planet for insertion by SOEIV drop pod; although not as violent.

Even though this mission was just to safeguard or protect something; maybe she was looking at it all wrong. Cinder and her team wouldn't be in any danger. There was no Covenant on or even around Reach. The only thing they may off-handedly have to deal with was maybe insurrectionists; and even then the chances of that were slim. Maybe this was a break for her team in a way. A little breather from the war. Just thinking about how easy this op would actually be now caused the squad leader to smirk behind her helmet's visor.

Maybe things won't be so bad down there.

Another buzzer sounded as the ship's rocking motions died down then.

"Beacon's Legacy… Welcome to Reach."

July 23, 2552

Planet Reach, Eposz

-10:01-

"Why don't you just sit down, sis? They'll be here soon."

Lance Corporal Ruby Rose looked over to her left at her older sister for perhaps the thirtieth time within the last half hour and grunted. Ever since she spotted the UNSC Beacon's Legacy dry dock at the Aszod ship yard she couldn't help but feel giddy and anxious. She just needed to move around!

"I- I can't, Yang… We're finally going to meet our squad!" Ruby happily announced as she continued to pace back and forth in her full gear.

She along with her older sister Yang were accompanied by two others in full ODST gear. Their new armor was spotless like their own and she figured they too were new graduates of the school; arriving to be placed on the same squad as them. Although Ruby was initially curious as to whom they were, her attempts at being friendly were shot down rather quickly, earning her a chuckle from her sister.

Although the other two others were silent and unwilling to speak to her, she was glad to have her older sister with her, by her side once more. Yang Xiao Long was Ruby Rose's older half-sister but the two of them had grown up together ever since they were little; they considered each other full-blooded family. Yang was only a year older than Ruby herself, but the two of them enlisted together at the age of eighteen and were lucky enough to be placed on the same marine unit before they both were offered to test into the ODSTs; passing with great marks.

Ruby knew she was beyond lucky to have been attached with her sister throughout the war while they were enlisted and again now, placed in the same ODST unit. It was already a miracle that they had both survived the countless battles they had been a part of; but of course not unscathed. They both lost a lot of friends to the alien Covenant and rebel Insurrectionists, but at least they still had each other. For that, LCPL. Rose couldn't be happier.

"Trust me sis, I'm sure our new squad leader is just itching to meet us as well. Just… try to be calm though, okay?" Yang once again probed the younger girl playfully.

Ruby exhaled finally and took a seat next to her sister, on one of the many window sills overlooking the dry docking yards. Although now seated, Ruby couldn't help but tap her gloved fingers against her armored leg. She watched Yang run her hands through her short blonde hair that she was so fond of. Ruby remembered when the girl's hair reached all the way to the small of her back before they enlisted. She was forced to cut it in basic training. When Yang had first learned of that, the blonde girl had run as fast as she could from the recruiting station; although she finally relented and agreed to cut it. Over the years though, she let her hair grow back. Now it was reaching just to her shoulders; not quite as long as before but she still kept it in great shape. Perhaps even in better shape than her weapon while in the field.

Sighing and looking over towards the other two recruits, sat across from her sister and herself; Ruby narrowed her eyes. One of them; a Lance Corporal like herself had white hair that was tied in a short side ponytail to the left. From what Ruby had spotted earlier on her nametag her last name was Schnee. It sounded familiar to the younger girl but she wasn't sure where she had heard that name from before. LCPL. Schnee was sitting on the ground with her back against the wall; currently she was fidgeting with her armor, trying to readjust it as if it were uncomfortable to wear.

Looking over to the right of Schnee was the other person who Ruby had no idea of if it was a boy or a girl. Ever since she arrived to wait in the room with Yang, that other soldier had been there, just sitting with their back against the wall and their arms crossed. They had their helmet on the whole time, masking their identity and not once had they uttered a word or even acknowledged the other people in the room. It was slightly unsettling to Ruby but she was able to sneak a peek at the soldier's nametag. Private Belladonna was their name, and Ruby felt a small sense of pride in being one of the higher ranking people in the room; other than Schnee who held the same rank.

Growing bored with just waiting in silence, the only sounds of her tapping her leg; Ruby decided once more to introduce herself to the other two ODST figures in the room.

"So… Schnee?" Ruby started, earning an annoyed look from the white haired girl and shattering whatever courage Ruby initially had when she started. "I- ah. Well… I like guns!" Ruby blurted.

She heard her sister Yang bust out laughing at her idiotic outburst and watched LCPL. Schnee roll her ice blue eyes in vexation before readjusting her gear once again; completely ignoring Ruby.

Exhaling sadly, the short crimson haired girl slumped back against the window sill in defeat and felt Yang place a reassuring hand at her back.

"Better luck next time, sis." The blonde merrily voiced before taking a more serious tone. "Everyone is on edge, just relax Rubes."

Nodding her head slightly and grabbing hold of her helmet, the young girl decided to just play with it as she waited. She was at her wit's end waiting for her new squad leader to pick them up. The only information she was given about their new leader was that her name was First Lieutenant Cinder Fall. Other than that she had no idea what the woman looked like, how she operated, or anything. Of course it was somewhat unsettling to be dropped into a brand new Spec Ops unit, but at least she wasn't alone. That and she was confident in her skill with an SRS 99 sniper rifle, she hoped that she could serve as this unit's designated sniper.

Exhaling deeply once more, Ruby stared at the double metallic doors and hoped that whoever was going to meet them would walk through already. The sitting and waiting game was grueling to her; she was an ODST for Christ's sake! She wasn't used to sitting still and waiting. Although she also was a sniper so maybe she was; Ruby had no idea. All she knew was that she just wanted someone, anyone to come through that damned door!

Not a second after the girl's thought though, did she finally get her wish.

Watching the double sliding doors swish open; Ruby quickly looked up, as well as the other three members to greet their new team leader and squad.

Walking away from the doors were six fully combat dressed and geared ODSTs. All had their helmets on so Ruby couldn't distinguish who was who from any of them, but the one walking in front of the rest had a silver bar etched on their chest plate representing a First Lieutenant rank. She could tell the rest of the soldiers who followed her had enlisted ranks, so she refocused her attention on the obvious female figure who she figured was the leader of the group.

She watched the woman stop in the center of the small docking room and look at each and every one them before pulling her helmet off and revealing shoulder length black hair that seemed to whiten at the tips. Her amber eyes scanned Ruby's own silver ones before looking over the others in the room. In that slight moment their eyes met though, Ruby felt something odd in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure what it was but she sensed something from that woman.

"You're the new recruits?"

The way the Lieutenant voiced the question sounded more like a statement to Ruby, but she was more focused on the older woman's voice. It resonated almost as if she were a singer at one point in her life. Her words sounded melodic in nature; and it was then and there that Ruby decided that she would have no problems listening to the woman's orders anytime.

"Yes ma'am! Lance Corporal Weiss Schnee, reporting as ordered."

Ruby turned towards the earlier cold girl, watching her snap off a crisp salute as she stood up straight. It seemed as if she had abandoned her old detached attitude towards Ruby herself in the presence of their new squad leader.

Turning back towards the Lieutenant though, Ruby spotted her looking towards her sister. Without missing a beat though, Yang stood up quickly; dropping her helmet in the process towards the ground with a metallic echo.

"Private First Class Yang Xiao Long, ma'am! Explosives specialist; I make things go out… with a Yang!" The blonde announced loudly as she snapped off her salute with a wide grin.

Ruby internally face palmed at her sister's antics but kept her eyes on the senior ODSTs. No one said a word, but Ruby had an inkling that they had their exterior comms off and were most likely making fun of Yang through their internal ones. The Lieutenant however kept her still impassive face on and didn't so much as blink towards Yang before turning her gaze towards Ruby to which the girl felt her eyes widen a bit as she stumbled over her words.

"I- I'm Lance Corporal R- Ruby Rose, ma'am! Sniper and marksman qualified." She quickly shouted while juggling her helmet in her hand as she saluted.

She still said nothing as she turned towards the final member of the four new troopers. Ruby turned her head to look at the mysterious helmeted recruit as well; dropping her salute in the process.

The last member stood up slowly before taking their helmet off and revealing their face. It was a girl.

She had jet black hair that came down just as far as Yang's own; to her shoulders. Her golden eyes were fierce with her face scrunched into a scowl as if she were pissed off about something.

"Private Blake Belladonna, ma'am. Data retrieval." The girl now known as Blake Belladonna stated in a low voice, snapping a salute.

Ruby could tell the girl was less than enthused about speaking at the moment, but was more than surprised to hear the Lieutenant actually ask Belladonna a question.

"Data retrieval? Or hacking expert?" The team leader asked with a hint of superiority in her tone.

Without a second's thought though, Private Belladonna responded to her question. "Aren't they both the same thing?"

LCPL. Rose could feel her eyebrows shoot up her forehead at the boldness of Belladonna. Answering the commissioned officer's question with another question most certainly wasn't something Ruby herself wanted to do on their first meeting. She wasn't sure how to feel about that Blake girl but she had an idea as to why she was still just a Private.

"I suppose it's all about perspective." The team leader chuckled out; the first sign of emotion on her face before looking at all the girls once more. "Alright, listen up. My name is First Lieutenant Cinder Fall. I'm not here to hold your hand or baby-sit you, I'm here to lead you into combat and make sure you don't get yourself killed. Follow my orders and everything will be perfect." The El Tee explained in a calm voice before narrowing her eyes ever so slightly.

"Fuck up and don't follow them…? Then we've got a problem. I don't know how they did it in your old unit but I personally don't accept failure. You're ODSTs now; act like it." She finished before taking half a step back.

"This is your new team." She announced before turning towards the other fully geared soldiers she walked in with. "Introduce yourselves to the FNGs."

Ruby kept her straight posture as she watched a taller soldier take a step forward before taking his helmet off and revealing bright orange hair. His bangs were swept over his right green eye and he wore a cocky grin, similar to Yang's own.

"Gunnery Sergeant Torchwick. Just call me 'Gunny'." He announced before smirking.

Ruby continued to watch the rest of the ODSTs take their helmets off, revealing their faces and genders. The next one who introduced themselves was a burly man who looked older than everyone else in the squad. His short jet black hair and hazel eyes made him look just like an average down on your luck guy as his facial expression looked as if he was always stuck frowning.

"Sergeant Tukson or 'Doc'. I'm the team's corpsman."

Next up was an extremely short girl with odd hair coloring that seemed to mirror her eyes. Brown and pink pupils. She seemed like the oddest out of the group as she was much too small to look like a soldier; coupled with the rocket launcher she had strapped to her back, it was almost comical to Ruby; the girl's appearance. She couldn't help but wonder how she passed basic training. Let alone ODST jump schooling.

"Corporal Neopolitan! But you guys can call me 'Neo' for short. Nice to meet you all!" She happily exclaimed as she performed a polite curtsey.

Ruby even heard her sister mutter something about her being adorable under her breath. She really hoped Yang could keep it in her pants and not leap at the first signs of an attractive girl in their unit. She had gotten in a little trouble with that in their prior unit; flirting with the company's CO. Although Ruby couldn't believe that the woman flirted back with Yang back then.

"Lance Corporal Emerald Sustrai or just 'Em' for short. I'm the team's Sniper." A dark skinned girl with short mint green hair announced.

Ruby locked her eyes with the girl's blood red ones and could feel something akin to a challenge in her glance. It faintly unsettled the shorter girl, but upon hearing that Emerald was the team's sniper; it already made Ruby want to be better than her.

"And saving the best for last as usual!" The last guy with short silver hair bellowed out. "Private First Class Mercury Black. C.Q.C. specialist; I blow them down to the ground!"

Multiple snorts were heard in the room when the loud and boastful guy finished his introduction, but then Lieutenant Fall spoke up once more.

"That's my team, they are the best of the best, and I expect you to be as well." She commanded sternly, earning head nods from all the new recruits.

When no one said anything as she continued eyeing them as if contemplating something before speaking up once again.

"You all joined up right on time. We have a mission to head out on right now and seeing as none of you are armed…" Lieutenant Fall turned around to look behind her before settling her eyes on the silver haired guy. "Merc, show them their lockers aboard the ship and get them geared out and ready to go. Meet back here in ten."

"Got it, El Tee." Merc muttered before turning on his heel and heading back inside the metallic double doors.

It was then that Ruby finally realized that she had to follow him, along with Yang, Weiss, and Blake. Quickly gathering up her belongings; Ruby and the others hurried behind Mercury who already passed through the double doors.

It was then that Ruby felt her blood pumping for the first time ever since she had graduated from jump school. She was now a part of a real ODST team. She'd be partaking in some of the bloodiest and most delicate missions in the UNSC. She could only hope that she wouldn't screw up.

Right as she and the other three girls reached the sliding metallic doors however, she heard Lieutenant Fall call out to them in that velvety smooth voice of hers once more; causing Ruby to feel a cold shiver run up her spine.

"Welcome to the 105th…"