It took barely any time at all for the scroll footage of Lt. Markus' last stand to become viral across the CCTS. Across the world of Remnant the people who had been cautious, if not cold, to the visitors in the flotilla above began to warm ever so slowly to their interstellar cousins.
There was a particularly strong admiration of the Space Marines that had shown how far they would go to protect humanity. In slums and even the academies themselves there were small ultima symbols being painted on walls or scribbled on notebooks as a symbol of hope. That instead of simply surviving the Grimm and bearing with their existence the people of Remnant could finally win.
That was all very far away from the mind and notice of Primaris Captain Cassiel for he had more important duties to see to at the moment. Such as the internment of his friend and second in command into the chassis of a mighty Redemptor Dreadnought. He ran his augmetic left hand against the golden nameplate of now Dreadnought Markus as the techmarines and techpriests worked to ensure the Lieutenant's new body was working at pique condition.
"Brother-Captain? We are ready to awaken him if you are ready." Spoke the gravelly voice of Techmarine Polaris. The techmarine was of the older breed of space marine and Cassiel had roughly a foot of height over him. This meant nothing to the Captain, however, because the techmarine was a master of his craft and was trusted implicitly by the crew of the ship.
"Yes. I shall speak to him. Thank you."
Polaris nodded and typed out the commands on his arm computer while the techpriests began the rites of awakening.
The coffin's systems whirred to life as power was fed into it.
"Markus? Are you with us, brother?"
The dreadnought was silent.
"Markus?"
There was a gravelly sound, almost like a groan, came from the vox speakers.
"Uuughh... Cap-tain?"
The techpriests began monitoring the vitals of Markus closely. Many dreadnought inhabitants lost their minds upon learning their of their fates.
"Yes brother. I am here."
Markus was quiet for several seconds.
"...I see I am no longer flesh and blood, am I?"
The techpriests sent bursts of binary code to one another and kept working.
"You are right brother. You are not. Your wounds were quite grevious and even the Chief Apothecary was hard pressed to save your life."
"... I see."
Markus was quiet for a long time as his vitals spiked slightly for a short time before leveling out.
"Captain. I may no longer be your Lieutenant but I will still serve. Tell me where you need me."
Dreadnought Markus was... slightly unsettled. The prospect of being in a coffin for the rest of his days was... daunting. He was on the verge of panicking until he remembered the mantras of the long away days of M31.
Theoretical: I sold my physical life in the service of others.
Practical: I am now a walking tank, capable of sundering all but the stoutest of foes.
I still can serve.
He vaguely remembers Captain Cassiel saying something but he was too busy getting accustomed to his new eyes and ears.
He could see the techpriests messing with the nearby cogitators while the techmarine, Polaris, he thought his name was, was closely monitoring his vitals and brainwaves.
"Markus?"
He would've jolted in surprise if he'd had the ability to do so.
"Yes Brother Captain?" He noted the look of concern on his Captain's face.
"My apologies. I was getting accustomed to my new body. My thoughts wandered."
The Captain sighed. "It is fine brother. I was simply saying that it may be some time until your body is ready. Until then, the techpriests recommend putting you in cryosleep."
Markus' vitals spiked until Cassiel raised a hand.
"That is, if you would like to. I care not what the priests of Mars wish. You are my brother before you are a dreadnought and I shall respect your wishes."
Markus noted the chuffed looks upon the techpriest's faces.
"I wish to be awake Captain. To better adjust myself to my new reality."
Cassiel nodded.
"Very well."
He turned to leave then.
"Brother-Captain I have a request."
Cassiel stopped then and turned to his friend and former second in command.
"Yes brother?"
Markus paused and would've exhaled then if he could.
"Those refugees and the warriors of this world. Would you inform them I still live? I fear they may be taking my loss hard."
Cassiel nodded. He didn't understand why Markus had grown so attached to the people of this world but then again Markus had always been the more 'human' of the two of them.
"Consider it done. I believe it's about time I introduced myself to the leaders of this world anyways."
He turned to leave then and strode down the corridor towards the hangar where a transport was waiting for him while affixing his crested helmet.
"Make the Thunderhawk ready and send a message to the world leaders. I wish to meet with them in a days time." He pulled the information of the facility where Markus's... friends(?) were healing their bodies.
Back on the planet Ruby Rose sat in the hospital in a state of melancholy. Her wounds had been treated and she would make a full recovery in a week's time and Jaune, Ren, and Weiss were all in the same room in various states of healing.
Weiss had a mild concussion in addition to several bruised ribs and a broken arm, Ren had 8 broken ribs and several bruised organs but was slated for a full recovery, and Jaune had a broken leg that was raised in a cast. Everyone else had assorted cuts and bruises and weren't worse for wear.
Yang had practically lived in the hospital for several days until Ruby convinced her she was fine and to go get some rest. Blake was the same with Weiss, Nora with Ren, and Pyrrha with Jaune. Now all four were alone in the room with Ren and Weiss fast asleep, their bodies dedicating most of their energy to mending broken bones.
"So... about Markus." Said Jaune abruptly, causing Ruby to jump.
"He... was a hero. What he did was... I don't know how to describe it." She mumbled. She'd still had nightmares of the huge horselike Grimm nearly tearing him in half.
Jaune nodded. "He was the stuff that legends are made of. I've never seen someone take on that many Grimm alone. Even thinking about it would be suicide for even the most seasoned of Huntsmen."
She thought back to when they first met.
He'd appeared during the disaster that was the Vytal Festival.
Six months earlier.
The city was in flames. The attack of the White Fang had been sudden and devastating leaving hundreds dead or wounded in the streets. The insurgents were setting fires indiscriminately and gunning civilians and local police forces down on sight. Ruby was separated from her teammates and searching frantically for them.
She was still emotionally distraught from the cruel way Penny was butchered in front of the entire stadium.
She couldn't let anyone else die.
She wouldn't let anyone else die.
Ruby turned the corner, Crescent Rose ready in its sniper rifle configuration.
Nothing.
Burning cars but the street was otherwise deserted.
She still advanced cautiously ready to put a fire dust bullet into the first bad guy she saw.
She grimaced at her own juveline label and at the fact she may have to hurt another person... maybe even kill them.
I'd rather be fighting Grimm.
In hindsight, she would chastise herself for testing fate in such a way.
She knew the situation had deteriorated but when she saw the Alpha Beowolf burst into view.
She almost fired until she saw that the Grimm hadn't even noticed her. It was facing the alley and growling. Upon closer inspection she saw that the Grimm was in sorry shape.
In fact, it looked as if it was running from something and whatever could force a Beowolf Alpha to retreat was something she had to be very cautious with. She used her semblance to rush to a nearby fire escape and took aim with Crescent Rose.
KER-CRACK.
Ruby flinched when the Beowolf's head exploded into a fountain of gore.
And then she saw them. Eleven giants clad in blue armor with impossibly large rifles. The bullets alone must be the size of her hand!
She aimed at the one with a golden laurel wreath upon his helm.
If she had to attack, she would at least take out their leader.
"You there!" Called one with a red helmet.
Her eyes grew wide.
How had they seen me!? The glare from the fire alone...
The one with the laurel stepped forward, his own rifle lowered. The others lowered there own rifles reluctantly.
"Yes young girl we can see you. Please come down. We mean you no harm."
"Brother Lieutenant what by the throne are you doing?!" Called Sergeant Tassius over their internal vox. Their team had been sent as back up for the Reiver squad already on the ground. They were in the buildings above and had their pistols trained on the unknown woman armed with what seemed to be a powerful stub sniper rifle.
"We must know more Sergeant. These locals have been away from the Imperium for who knows how long and if the size and speed of that creature were any indication, then these people are likely hearty and capable in their own right. No need to make enemies for no reason."
Sergeant Tassius kept his finger near the trigger of his auto bolt rifle, ready to send a spray of mass reactive bolts at the unknown target.
The Lieutenant continued and walked closer, caution evident in his slow steps.
"I am Lieutenant Markus of the Ultramarines 4th Company. We are a flotilla of a single battle barge and two strike cruisers with a few support vessels and heard the distress calls of this city when we crashed into the system."
Markus then laid his rifle on a burned out car as a sign of truce. "We wish to help."
Ruby eyed the giant carefully. She could make nothing out of his body language and his helmet covered his face entirely, but he seemed sincere. She cautiously jumped from the fire escape, keeping the gun on him as she walked forwards, ready to spring into action.
Her mouth was dry and she felt like she had cotton in her throat.
"Y-you want to help? Why?"
The next words would have normally caused her to snort with how cliché they sounded. But today... they put her at ease.
"Because we are the defenders of humanity."
She lowered her rifle a fraction.
"And why should I believe you?"
The blood red eye lenses seemed to stare directly into her very soul.
"Theoretical: You shouldn't. My story is as impossible for you as yours will likely be for me. Practical: This city is under siege from terrorists and beasts that seek nothing more than the destruction of humanity. While me and my brothers were made to destroy their ilk."
She was silent for a long time as she thought, heart hammering as this eight foot tall giant offered her the key to saving Vale and everyone she cared for.
She made her decision.
"My name's Ruby. Ruby Rose."
The giant seemed to relax a minuscule amount.
"Well met Ruby. Squad Orion, Squad Hera, Squad Atlas you may approach now. Set up a cordon as we gather information."
Ruby jumped as ten more giants with leaner armor and skull faced helmets lept from the tops of smaller buildings. More advanced up the alley way with guns that glowed blue and seemed to radiate barely contained heat. The final squad, a trio trudged out of the alley in armor that made the others look small.
"So Ruby. What is the situation?"
And so she told him. And he listened patiently and calmly to her crazy story like a parent.
"And... that's where we stand now."
He was silent as he picked his rifle back up and turned to the rest of those under his command.
"Ultramarines. We make for this Beacon Academy. There seems to be relics of great power and importance there that some foul creature desires the use of to subjugate humanity. We may be stranded far from the Indomitus Crusade, but that matters little. We serve humanity wherever we are! Courage and Honor!"
Their reply echoed off the buildings as the beings pounded their chests.
"Now. Ruby please guide us. My Space Marines shall carve a path straight to the enemy's black heart. I am eager to meet this 'Cinder'."
Ruby took off ahead of the strike force with the Reivers of Squad Orion following closely behind, with their strange equipment. The skull masks unsettled her with their red eye lenses not to mention their 'knives' were as long as Jaune's sword.
Markus kept up a blistering pace on the ground with the rest of his Space Marines jogging alongside him. From what the girl had told him, the city was in a precarious position.
He hailed the vox.
"Brother-Captain. We have made contact with a local that seemed to be a member of this planet's PDF and she informed us of what is happening. It seems the taint of Chaos is not here but there are forces no less vile. Recommend combat deployment Beta towards the breaches in the city walls."
The response was quick and Markus smiled when he heard who was being sent.
These poor fools have no idea what's about to hit them.
Outskirts of Vale City
The Valean soldiers near the breach were hard pressed. The smaller Grimm went down easily enough with a few bullets to the chest or head but the larger and smarter ones were a far different story. They could survive entire fusillades of rifle fire before one was brought down and more and more of the Alphas were beginning to appear.
Another wave rushed forward, a black tide of pure malice, baying and wanting the defender's blood and all those that inhabited the city.
The line was thinned to the extreme now and though the Valean soldiers were disciplined and well trained were still only human and the casualties had slowly but surely been taking their toll.
They opened fire with steaks of fire dust erupting from their barrels and immolating the smaller Grim, while the few hunters that had managed to make it to the breach singled out the Alphas and attempted to bring them down before they reached the battered city defenders.
The veterans of that night would describe the events as the wrath of a vengeful god falling upon the Grimm.
The defenders were too busy fighting the Grimm to notice the twelve blue armored meteors rocketing their way towards the ground at terminal velocity while the Grimm themselves were too preoccupied with butchering the crews of the airships that had begun to retreat.
The Inceptors fired their boosters, lighting the night with streaks of blue flame as the jump packs fought the downward speed of the heavy Inceptor plate. The Space Marines landed between the Valean soldiers and the Grimm blocking the creatures of the damned from their prey like a phalanx of blue descending from the heavens themselves.
"Brother-Sergeant, teleport homer in place." Called one of them after dropping a large, cumbersome contraption in the charred dirt.
The smell of ozone permeated the air and with ten flashes of blinding light, wrath incarnate appeared to deliver the doom of their enemy.
Twenty one space marines in Tactical Dreadnought Power Armor stood like a wall, towering over the Valean soldiers.
Entire armies were shattered with less.
The center consisted of truly ancient and revered suits that had strode the stars since the Great Crusade. Five suits of Cataphractii terminator plate and five suits of Tartaros Terminator plate made an impenetrable wall of blue ceremite. The outer flanks consisted of the newer Indomitus pattern with the front and center being one figure in a skull mask wearing plate that was midnight black while bearing a large mace.
"We will handle this mortals. Gather your forces while we wipe this filth from your walls." Called one of the Space Marines in the Cataphractii plate.
The Grimm, which had been stunned for several moments as the cascade of lights played havoc with their eyes and the teleportation played havoc with their sense of smell, had regrouped and charged headlong at the new foe.
Their primitive brains, even among the Alphas, had assumed these 32 new foes would make no difference. None would live to regret this grevious miscalculation.
"Brothers! Let us not keep the Captain waiting! Purge this filth so that he may land! For Ultramar!" Called the one in the black terminator plate.
The Inceptors bounded high in the sky, hunting the largest beasts with their plasma weapons and sending searing blasts into their bodies with pinpoint accuracy while the terminators waded into the the black tide, the Cataphractii using their lighting claws and heavy flamer to exact an absolutely brutal toll upon their enemies. The Tartaros and Indomitus brothers lumbered forwards, combi-bolters and stormbolters barking and assault cannons, Reaper Autocannons, and missile pods tearing score upon score of the beasts into fine chaff.
Stormtalon gunships streaked overhead, breaking into a hover before cutting the rest of the hoarde to pieces with assault cannon and heavy bolter fire and Stormhawk interceptors chased the largest Nevermores through the sky, Icarus stormcannons tearing them to pieces as they flew.
The veterans of that day would again speak of the way that these avenging angels descended from the heavens and obliterated a force of at least two thousand Grimm in the span of thirty minutes and how they'd saved Vale from almost certain destruction.
Inner Vale City
"There seems to be fighting ahead. Inside the academy buildings." The Reiver Sergeant called to Markus over the vox. They'd made great progress through the unfamiliar streets thanks to the young woman's direction. Markus also noted with a wry grin that the Reiver Sergeant sounded almost winded in his attempts to keep up with the young woman with strange powers. He had to admit the rose petals were a bit peculiar though.
"Acknowledged. Force disposition?"
He heard a grunt as the Sergeant climbed up another building and took up an overwatch position.
"Abhumans. Armed with close combat weapons and stub guns. They seem to be gua-DAMMIT MORTAL WHERE..."
The line cut for a moment.
"My apologies Lieutenant, the mortal rushed ahead, saying something about a sister and gave away our position. Throne she's fast! Engaging now."
Markus cursed under his breath.
"Understood. We are thirty seconds away."
The space marines picked up a dead sprint as they rushed into the open area where the Reivers were engaged with thirty of the abhumans.
And were actively tearing them to pieces with swift strokes and cuts with their combat knives. At this point the Reivers saw no point in using their Heavy Bolt Pistols.
Over half of the combatants were chopped meat or were trying to run as the enhanced vox emitters screamed at them from skull faced helmets scared them out of their wits.
Inside the cafeteria, Blake held onto Yang with fearful tears in her eyes, trying to stem the blood loss from the stub that was formerly her right arm. Adam had just chopped her arm off as if her semblance and aura hadn't even existed and was currently floating about his victory and how wrong she'd been for leaving.
He stopped for a moment upon hearing gunfire and screams of terror from his men outside.
It was then that Ruby burst in, worry painted all over her soot stained features. She froze when she saw the blood all over the tile floor.
And her sister...
"YANG!"
She looked to Adam, something cold in her eyes as she brought Cresent Rose into its scythe configuration.
"What... did you do to Yang!?"
Adam scoffed and readied his sword.
She was about to spring forwards when she heard heavy footfalls behind her.
She turned to see Markus standing behind her.
"Ruby you should not advance ahead your allies. That is not tactically sound."
Ruby looked dumbfounded as the giant strode ahead of her.
"The injured woman is your sister?"
She nodded, still puzzled as to how exactly he'd caught up to her.
"Take care of her. I will handle this filth."
"But..."
He looked back.
"Do what I could not."
He stepped by the two on the ground, Yang only barely regained consciousness at the same moment Ruby rushed to her side.
Adam readied his sword again, his Faunus instincts screaming at him to run as fast and as far away as he could, but his pride and arrogance overwriting that basic urge.
"What are you? A new Atlas mech? Some android?"
Markus maglocked his bolt rifle to the small of his back and removed his helmet with a hiss of the seals being undone.
His unaugmented voice was deep and rich with an ancient tone. He reminded the three girls of a warrior king.
"Does this answer your question filth?"
Adam chafed under the insult.
Before he could retort, Markus continued.
"Is this what you call battle? Attacking those who are exhausted or unable to defend themselves? Pathetic. I normally wouldn't waste my blade upon scum such as you but... I will make an exception if only to humble you before I choke the life from your worthless bones."
It was then that Markus reached for the hilt of the sword in the sheathe at his hip.
The master crafter blade shone in the light offered by the fires, the painstakingly letters etched into the blade reading 'Ultramar Improbulus'.
He pressed the activation rune and azure light lept over the four foot long blade as the power field activated.
"Come on then coward. If you can force me from his spot I will let you live."
Adam lept at the Space Marine beginning the battle with a full power overhead swing. Markus blocked the blow with practiced ease and pushed the Faunus away.
Theoretical: He is used to having the power advantage.
Practical: Without having the power advantage, he will crumple like a piece of parchment.
Adam, for his part, was shocked his blow was blocked so easily.
He tried again and again and again, to no avail. It was like attacking an armored wall.
"Is that it? Very well. My turn."
Adam felt something break through his aura a microsecond before be brought his own blade up to block the blow.
His blade shattered along with half the bones in his dominant arm.
Adam howled in pain and clutched the shattered remnants of his arm.
"Who... what are you?"
Before Adam could react he was impaled through the chest on the sword like a meat skewer.
"I am a member of the Emperor's Angels of Death. And so long as you are an enemy of humanity, I shall come for you without remorse and without pity. Now die so I can clean your disgusting cowardly blood from my blade."
Adam attempted to choke out a final curse but the space marine withdrew his sword and hacked the terrorist's head from his shoulders.
Present day.
Ruby had never forgotten that day. At first she was horrified at the display of violence she witnessed from the Space Marine that day. But the more she interacted with her strange savior, the more she saw he was a genuinely kind hearted soul. He didn't cause unnecessary pain where he could but he would never tolerate those who would harm a person.
She was broken out of her trance by a loud jet engine outside and near panic of the hospital employees.
She jumped from her bed and rushed to see a huge gunship touching down in the field outside the hospital.
When the ramp dropped she saw the one she remembered Markus calling his Captain step out with his crested helmet and white cape flowing in the jet engine backwash.
She recognized him.
He was the one that had saved Pyrrha and Beacon.