Beacon.
The young man stared at the strange place they were about to land at with slight awareness, but with mostly a dismal look in his eyes. The strange, castle-like building had no gothic symbolism or buildings, instead looking bland, simple. It had no defensive positions, but instead changed out the actual defenses for the looks. There was a shining clocktower in the middle of it all, taller than anything and supported by four strange struts of sorts, semi-arches. Around the main landing pad and welcome area, what looked like arches over arches stood as decorations on the green soil, with a fountain in the middle of a small, central meeting point. Crimson-colored trees flanked the paths, neatly aligned like soldiers for a parade. The Hab-blocks for the students were not far away behind and around the main campus, whilst behind them resided a wall and, finally, Forestry.
People milled about, clad in brown uniforms, the boys with long pants and the girls with short pleaded skirts, with books and strange devices in their hands. The aircraft swung about for the landing zone, allowing for the soldier to stand up, hoisting his helmet and gear, whilst whispering the Litany of Protection as he stepped off onto the illuminated reinforced concrete of the hanging landing pad. His heavy, armored boots collided with clicks to the floor and several of the students ahead stared at him, surprised and possibly even fearful at the scarred warfighter.
Ruby walked up beside him, checking a weird, transparent-screened device, then told the Hellgun-toting drop trooper "Uh, Marcus? Headmaster Ozpin is gonna want to see you."
The soldier nodded, then asked "Where should I go meet the man?"
Ruby pointed at the shining clocktower in the middle, a structure with an emerald tint to its light and its inner workings and cogs visible through the tinted green glass. The boy stared in disbelief for a moment, then muttered to himself awkwardly "Place reminds me of one of those Villains' lairs from those old 'The Fallen Inquisitor' comic strips I used to read back with the Phantine..." He sighed, then nodded to Ruby and said "I'll go, then."
"We'll return to our dorms too..." Ruby said, yawning and stretching. "It's been a long assignment..." words to which Marcus nodded and said "Thank you for bringing me over." before walking off. Team RWBY watched him in quiet admiration as he walked away, back turned toward them. It allowed them to appreciate how much shit he had strapped to his back. The laser weapons, two swords, the flamethrower and flamer canisters, two belts of grenades... If a drop trooper could hold up that much from this Empire he was from, then they must've had a lot of good technology... Or really tough, strong men.
He walked past the statue that greeted him, one with two huntsmen of theirs sitting atop an outcropping of rock, whilst a Grimm creature lay below the male huntsman...
Marcus didn't break his path for anybody, even if he felt their eyes drifted upon him. He simply ignored the frightened, awed or other kind of stares from the students, advancing toward the tower. He could swear to the Throne he'd seen this shit before somewhere. It was possibly the only hive-city-like structure in this place, even so barely. He clipped his helmet to his belt, his arm tired of holding it under his armpit. It clicked, locking into place. The boy arranged his fingerless gloves under his plated gauntlet, then checked the armor straps, tightening them. He scanned his surroundings for possible avenues of escape, ignoring the civilians.
He didn't know what to expect as he took his final steps toward the tower. The automated door scanned him and slid apart with a low hiss, allowing him entry into the lobby of the tower. A rather large, empty central part in the middle of all the concrete and stone. A desk and several benches lay in the middle, but the desk and chair were empty. The soldier sighed, moving to one of three elevators. He tapped a button out of the two present. The elevator rang and he walked in.
He tapped the button and the elevator doors closed. It went up at a relatively high speed, high enough he was already up in the tower. The elevator dinged and the doors slid apart again, allowing the boy to walk out, to the sight of the glass floor caught in a metal frame. The thick glass allowed him to see the inner workings of the mechanic clock, whilst a massive cogwheel rested on the left, half out of the floor, half inward, spinning slowly with the rest of them... Huh, a Techpriest would have a nerdgasm here.
"Ahem..." A female voice cleared her throat, taking the boy's attention to the desk with a similar decor to the rest of the tower. It was turned away from the main window, that which displayed the runes of the clocktower backward. There was a woman with blonde hair that was neatly arranged, caught in a bun behind the back of her head and glasses. She wore a strange teacher's outfit, with an even stranger cape. A skirt, white top and thigh-highs, as well as stilleto heels. Her piercing emerald eyes glanced at the boy quickly, before she turned about and looked to the man seating at the desk.
He had short, scraggly silver hair and amber eyes, hidden behind a pair of small sunglasses. He wore dark-green clothing, with a strange scarf wrapped around his neck that had his supposed symbol on it. The man smiled, standing up from his seat, then said "Welcome." leaning onto his cane. Marcus sighed, then crosshed his arms and said "You're the Headmaster here, are you not?"
"Yes, of course. I'm headmaster Ozpin, young man." The man smiled. Marcus nodded, then walked up to him and gave a quick salute, before extending his hand and saying "Lieutenant Marcus Maelon, Harakoni 43rd. Your school seems lacking in the defenses department."
Ozpin's right brow quirked up "Hum? What do you mean?"
"Whole lot of open space, sir, and no Anti-Air defenses I could see. This place may be located on a cliff, but I saw forestry not far behind the main hab-blocks. And nothing but a sort of wall. If anyone would want to mount an assault here, they'd have an easy time doing so." He said, crossing his arms. Ozpin nodded, then said "Yes, well, Vale has the natural barriers of the forestry and mountains to the east of us as protection... The few Grimm you've encountered when rescued are probably pickets."
The boy scoffed, then looked to Ozpin with an angered stare "Well, they succeeded in pissing me off. My boys, those sweet few that survived the crash, died fighting'em. Outnumbered us three to one... Managed to gun down a lot of'em, but I lost every single man under my command somehow." before sighing and saying "Guess the bastard daemons are pretty tricky if they managed to kill Harakoni... Then again, the poor sods I commanded were Elysians and a few rookie Harakoni..."
"I'm sorry for your loss, Lieutenant. I bet they were good men." Ozpin said solemnly. He showed the young paratrooper to sit down in front of the desk. The young man walked toward the seat and took it calmly, before looking to the woman beside him, who held a crop in her right hand. She stared at him with a mix of surprise and fondness. Ozpin gazed upon the boy, then asked calmly "So... How old are you, Lieutenant?"
"Seventeen, sir. And a half." He responded nonchalantly, making the two present gasp. The woman covered her mouth with her hand and Ozpin asked "And you're an officer?" blatantly shocked. The young man nodded and said "Served a few years in three campaigns. From Aurelia as a guard to one of our Inquisitors, to the Fall of Medusa V and the battle of Torrhahn Primaris."
"Three Campaigns? Young man, just for how long did you fight?" Ozpin asked in pure bewilderment. The Warhawk shrugged, then said "Since I was... 11, I think? Maybe 12?" making the non-Imperials stagger with pure surprise. Marcus looked on, unimpressed at the two. He felt a loose armor plate at his leg and went on to tighten its grip on his leg. He looked back up, to see the two staff members of Beacon staring at each-other. Ozpin sighed in apparent defeat, then looked at the boy and asked "Just... What kind of people would need you for war?"
"The Emperor, for in His name the Guard, His Hammer, fights." The boy responded sternly and proudly. "And for the Imperium and its people, of course. That would be self-explanatory, however."
Ozpin nodded, awed still, then asked "You'd give your lives for the Emperor?"
"As he sacrificed Himself for us and ascended into Godhood, so would we give our lives for Him and His creations. Our Imperium is besieged day to day by filthy Xenos, plagues and the damned Ruinous Powers of Chaos Undivided, whom corrupt, cleave and kill... With the latest development being the worst in our realm yet." The boy responded with a nod. If anything, Ozpin seemed to have a look of respect on him now. The Headmaster spoke calmly "I see... I've a proposition for you, Lieutenant." he then offered, to which Marcus nodded and said "I'm listening, sir."
"If you wish to continue to help humanity, we would still require students... One of our spots has always been open out of necessity." Ozpin explained calmly "And we can give it to you. Now, before you say yes or no, let me tell you that we need help. It is not just the Grimm that threaten our kingdoms. A new terrorist organization appeared, a shadow of what it once was."
"Go on." The soldier urged, focused on the story. Ozpin nodded, then continued calmly "You see, we have this race similar to Humans, but that developed animal traits and ears. WE call them Faunus... And the Faunus have been under oppression since the earliest days of humanity. Racism and such predominated our past regarding them. After a revolution of theirs some 80 years ago, the organization rose as a desire for peace and equality between us and them. The White Fang became a symbol for the Faunus, that of peace and of hopeful prosperity... It worked for a while, until people became disdained with the Faunus again... A few years ago, however, the White Fang's peaceful ways changed. Their original leader stepped down and soon, we awoke to protests that were peaceful turning dark. They were armed. Terror attacks, destruction of stores and such, dozens dead... You can guess the rest."
The boy bowed his head and sighed "Are all the Faunus Abhumans members of this bloody cult?"
Ozpin was slightly taken aback by the boy's wording. He regained composure, then shook his head and said "No... Not all of them. Most are just usual civilians, walking the streets calmly. We even have Faunus in Beacon." to which Marcus stopped to think. So some see humanity as friends, or at least hope for peace, still... Hmph, good. He nodded, then said "Very well... And you wish me to join you. Help you fight the White Fang and halt its agenda?"
Ozpin nodded, then extended his hand over the desk, to the Warhawk and asked "What do you say?"
The soldier had had time to figure out his new 'employer' so to speak. A man of seeming age, careful in every movement he made and a master of words, or at least twisting them to his own benefit. The boy half-swore that Ozpin was some sort of agent of Tzeentch, but he'd have smelled the scent of Chaos the moment he met with those four girls. No... He also saw resolve in the old man's weary eyes, alongside sympathy. He sighed deeply, unsure of his choice, then said blandly "I've not got another place to stay, sir... Count me in." then he gave a smirk and shook Ozpin's hand hard.
The headmaster smiled, then nodded and said "Very well. We will need to sign you up into Beacon's computer database." before leaning back and tapping his desk... A holo-pict-screen appeared ahead of the boy, making him gasp. A keyboard with runes also appeared on the glass of the desk itself. Ozpin keyed in a command, then looked to the boy and said "Full name and age again, please."
"Marcus Maelon, 17 and a half." The boy said. Ozpin quickly typed in the information, then he looked to his silent adjutant and said "Glynda, if you'd please take the young man's picture, so we can finish the process." to which the woman said with a silk-smooth voice "Of course, Headmaster." taking out a device from her pocket, one with a black body, and tapping a golden button in the middle of it. It extended, two prongs holding a holographic projector... A handheld cogitator? What kind of technology...
"Please, look at the camera, Lieutenant." The woman said fondly, arranging her glasses and pointing at a black circle on the top prong of the large holo-cogitator. The boy nodded, then stared right into the camera, stern. A bright flash overtook his eyes and a digital 'click' ticked off from the device. The boy blinked, clearing his vision. She looked to Ozpin and nodded "Done." to which the man said "Very well. You are in, Lieutenant... Welcome to Beacon." adding a smile. The trooper stood up and brought his right hand up to his forehead in a salute. Ozpin responded with a mock salute and an "At ease. We'll talk later, Lieutenant Maelon.", enough for the boy to nod and stand down.
"Glynda, please do take him to the free room in Dorm block 3." Ozpin told his aide. She nodded, then walked in front of the trooper and said "If you'd follow me." calmly. The soldier nodded and responded "Right on your six, ma'am." allowing for the woman to take point. They walked out of the place and into the Elevator after bidding a quick goodbye to Ozpin.
The trip down to the bottom was a silent one, but Marcus could feel the woman's eagerness to end this as quickly as possible and probably go cry. She seemed like the type of a bleeding heart sympathizer. The elevator dinged. They walked off and out into the main avenue of Beacon, as always full of students, only for Marcus to hear something...
"Get the hell out of my way, you bullheaded bastards."
The voice was female. Four voices laughed in unison... The boy gazed to his right, to see a young woman surrounded by four goons. She had long, golden locks caught in a wavy ponytail that reached down to her waist, with a left fringe partially covering her eye. She was also quite a voluptuous girl. Placed on her body was a set of body armor much similar to the boy's own carapace armor set, save for being lighter and missing leg armor. On her hip, there was a mace and on the back, a shield, with a golden double crescent symbol on it. The armor's breastplate had a similar symbol on the left side. She had a short cape hanging off her rear belt and wore blue jeans and a pair of sneakers.
Around her were four dumb-looking goons, one of them clad in a knight-like armor with strange symbols all over it. He had red hair and dark-blue eyes that simply spoke 'idiot'. His other friends were not even worth the mention... The boy sighed, rolling his eyes, then set his helmet on his head and said to Glynda "Wait for a moment, ma'am..." before walking toward the group. Glynda looked over, to Cardin Winchester and his team and the new young girl that came in, then rubbed her brow "Oh, Heavens help them..."
Winchester crossed his arms, then said "How about ya make me, lil' girl?" in a smug, mocking tone.
He felt a tap on his shoulder, then looked back, about to blurt out something probably stupid, but he staggered when he saw the Harakoni holding his Las Pistol pointed to the boy's face, right between his eyes. He was slightly taller than Winchester. The pistol thrummed, then hissed as it charged. The Warhawk then spoke, his voice enhanced by the modifier "How about you four neanderthals leave this girl alone."
The girl chuckled, then spoke mockingly "Did ya hear that, dickhead? Someone else thinks you're a neanderthal." hands placed on her hips. Winchester growled, then looked to Marcus and said "How about you put that pistol down and fight me like a man if you've got such a big mouth, Soldier-boy?" in a low growl. Marcus nodded, lowering his pistol, then said "Sure thing... Just give me your name."
"It's Cardin freaking Winchester. Why's it matter to you, Soldier-boy?" Snapped the bastard, gritting his teeth. Marcus smirked, holstering his pistol, then said "Oh, nothing, Winchester... Just so I know what to write on the bodybag." before cracking his knuckles. Winchester looked at the soldier, then let out a mocking laugh and said "Think you're threatening? Your armor looks like cardboard, you little runt!"
"Yeah, sure..." The Harakoni said with a disinterest, stretching his hands forward. "Your goons can join too... Let's make this easy on you." with a smirk... Cardin looked on, confused, before he gazed back and nodded... Then turned about to receive a punch that sent him fucking flying. Before the man even touched the ground, Marcus was quickly on the next enemy, a boy with dark-blue hair. He grabbed him by the arm just as he threw a punch, twisted the arm back behind its owner, spun him about and delivered a helmet-aided HEADBUTT to the bastard, making him stagger, confused and contused. The Harakoni wasted no time, rushing ahead and delivering a low sweep-kick, knocking the man over and into unconsciousness.
The other two rushed him, but one of them took a kick to the face, that sent him tumbling to the floor. The sneaker shoe that delivered it soon resolved into the blonde girl, smug grin on her face as she took the third bastard, one wearing a green mohawk, by his spiky hair, and throwing him back before joining the Harakoni, a good hand-to-hand stance.
The four stood up and growled, looking at the duo.
"Uh-oh... Round two." The girl said, her voice, though soft like an angel's, filled with urgency. The Harakoni looked unimpressed, before he answered "Feels like I'm fighting those training dummies back at home." making the girl chuckle as he watched Cardin stagger to his feet, glaring at the boy with a bleeding nose. The bastard roared, then rushed again. The Harakoni and girl looked to each-other and the latter smirked. They nodded, then proceeded to deliver a twin-linked kick right to Cadin's face, sending him to the floor. The blue-haired one came in from behind and threw a punch, but Marcus caught him by the wrist and spun him back with the redirected kinetic energy, before kicking him in the ribs HARD enough to hear a crack.
Meanwhile, the girl parried punches from Cardin's two other goons. She spun and elbowed one in the chest, stunning him, before sending several light punches into the other one's gut. Marcus ran forth and, with help from his Grav-chute, delivered a flying roundhouse to the mohawk boy, sending him spinning in the air before he fell to the floor, scraping it thanks to the momentum. The Guardsman then caught the last one's fist in his open palm, blocking the attack directed for the girl and allowing her to deliver a heavy, hard uppercut right in the groin. The bastard screamed in sheer agony and even the Warhawk cringed at that, before twisting his arm, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him into the floor, thus cracking the paved road.
And the Warhawk hadn't even broken a sweat... He looked back, to see the girl, panting and sweating, but with a smug grin as she taunted the boys "X JUST GAVE IT TO YA, MOTHERFUCKERS!" and laughing heartily. She looked back to the Warhawk, a sly grin on her face, then said "Thanks for the help. Had half the mind to let that Winchester guy throw the first punch." calmly dusting herself off and wiping the sweat off her brow. "My brother's letters weren't kidding... Such a bunch of idiots."
She extended her hand to Marcus, then introduced herself happily "I'm Jeanne Arc, by the way. What's your name?" to which the boy shook her hand and said "Name's Marcus Maelon. Lieutenant." before removing his helmet. The girl ground to a halt, blushing. She smirked, a devious, somewhat perverted grin "Well, hello, sir. It's nice to meet you... Quickly, how old are you?"
"17." The boy said, somewhat confused. The girl's grin remained. She nodded and said "Alright then... Well, I'll go find my brother and talk to him, but I'll see ya around." before giving the trooper a mock salute. Marcus saluted back and nodded "Yeah, see you around, miss Arc." calmly. "Just Jeanne." She said. "Call me Jeanne. Miss Arc's mom. Goodbye." and with that, she walked off. Marcus nodded, clipped his helmet to his belt again and walked back to the awed miss Goodwitch, whose jaw was hanging and long. He said "Let's go on..."
Glynda shook off the shock, then stuttered "U-Uhm... of course. Follow me..." and she tapped a comm bead and said "Get the infirmary to the main boulevard, section 3... Four KO students..." then sighed "Yes... Yes, they're fine, but..." She rolled her eyes "Two vs Four... Yes, I believe it was recorded by at least one passerby. You can ask... Goodbye."
By the Heavens...