A wide stride, an eager swing of the arms, the excited smile. Her unzipped jacket hung open letting the flaps wave freely now that her vest no longer secured them. Every footstep created an echoey crack in the narrow halls despite the omnipresent background hum that never fully subsided, no matter the hour. Her wide blue eyes blazed in anticipation, wholeheartedly focused on her chosen path. All of this defined the young woman powering towards the conference room, passing various personnel with nary an acknowledgement.
She solely desired to witness the most exciting meeting of the year, albeit from afar; She didn't want to cross her new boss so soon after the big formal introduction. But for this event, she was willing to go to any length-
A hand snatched Nora's collar and she jerked back with a cry. "Let me go!"
"No." Ren flatly denied. He dragged the ginger away with her heels squealing on the floor, Nora's arms waving furiously at her cruelly stolen moment.
"But Reeen!"
"No."
Watching the duo from the wall she leaned on, Pyrrha sighed, lowering her arms. She stood up once the dark haired man reached her location, smoothing out her black shirt. While the rest of the team were down to their undershirts, Nora was in too much of a hurry to shed her jacket. She rolled her shoulders and watched Ren jerk his charge forward hard enough to trip her, tucking his purple hair stripe out of the way as Nora whipped around.
"C'mon, we're missing it." she begged, bringing her hands together plaintively.
The redhead settled on a patient expression instead of a frown. "Why do you want to see this Vala person so badly?"
"Because she's cool, and she's Doctor Jackson's girlfriend. Reason enough for me." she responded impatiently, grumbling at Ren when he stepped in the way.
"Did anybody say she was?" the lone male questioned, leaning to block her view.
"She's still cool though." Nora insisted with a growl.
"Wasn't she the one who tried stealing the Prometheus a few months ago? Hijacked the ship, stranded the crew, and nearly killed General Hammond?" Pyrrha frowned in thought.
"She is, and there was no try about it. The ship was hers for almost five hours." Ren corrected.
Nora kept pouting, even as she slumped in apparent defeat. "Still…"
"You're gonna get in trouble if you try eavesdropping." he reminded.
The redhead sighed, rolling her shoulders together in preparation for what was to come. "Will you give it a rest if I help with your report?"
In the blink of an eye Nora was upon her, snatching her hands and jumping in place. Her high pitched whoop proceeded an enormous smile of gratitude which unseen to her, caused a pair of Airmen strolling down the hallway to halt and turn back the way they came.
"Okay, okay, calm down please." Ren stepped in force the ginger to halt her jumping, but there was no freeing her prisoner.
Nora squealed anyway. "You're my best friend P-Money!"
"Please don't, I hate that nickname." the redhead groaned.
"Now I just need a bit of Jaune's help, and this paperwork thing will be done and done. Then we can go chat with Vala! She must have so many cool stories, like Qrow, or O'Neill, or Carter, or Bra'tac-" She babbled on, heedless of her prisoner's slump; more than one 'assistance' with Nora's mission reports meant Pyrrha wrote everything but the signature.
Ren crossed his arms, no doubt considering activating his semblance to calm her down. But today there was a much more effective option at his disposal.
"Jaune can't help you, he's drafting performance reviews." he dropped.
The effect was instantaneous: Nora landed on her feet and froze, her bright smile turning into a grimacing rictus in one second flat. All her excitement shriveled up before her friends' eyes, leaving behind a look of wide eyed horror. Her grip went limp, freeing Pyrrha to back away and rub her aching wrists. The ginger's head seemed to creak as she swiveled towards her teammate.
"Performance reviews?" she squeaked.
"I overheard a rumor from SG-14 earlier, General Landry's orders to all team leaders. He wants to assess personnel status." Ren explained, briefly flicking his gaze towards their last companion. "Pyrrha's set, but for us?" he shrugged rather than finishing.
The redhead in question rolled her eyes. "You know as well as I do mine will be the harshest. We were on thin ice when O'Neill was in charge, I can't imagine Landry will be more lenient."
"Performance… reviews…" Nora mumbled, slowly bringing her hands up to clutch her head, sporting a look of growing panic.
"It won't be that bad." he tried, but failed to lift her spirits.
Pyrrha sighed again and took ahold of Nora's arm, dragging her off with Ren trailing behind. "C'mon, let's get this over with. I'll take you out for pancakes once we're done."
Unbeknownst to the trio, their leader wasn't in his office writing up reports, but instead was located in the same conference room Nora was heading towards. A predicament he brought down on his own head due to the newest SG-1 team member catching him the moment he was alone. It was for this reason that Captain Jaune Arc, leader of SG-25, and a proud member of Stargate Command, found himself wishing he missed his departure window.
Standing with his back to the plexiglass window, the young man drummed his fingers on the collapsed shield currently held against his arm, which he brought along for security as Mitchell claimed. Jaune knew that was an excuse; there were four guards just in his field of vision, and a dozen more could show up in under a minute. The guest herself was thoroughly searched by SG-12 before they returned, and she was vetted again once she was brought to the conference room. His presence was entirely superfluous, almost criminally wasteful even, especially in light of his own duties. No, the reason he was ordered to come along (something he should've contested) was because the new Colonel wanted to examine him in fine detail. Under his breath he berated himself for bringing out his shield.
When the visitor spun her chair around, he stopped. "Yes?"
"You're rather curt." Vala Mal Doran noted with a trace of either bemusement or irritation in her tone, he couldn't tell for sure. She was leaning back with one leg propped up, a hand idly twirling by her side while her cleavage was prominently displayed; he had the distinct impression she was inviting him closer. "Especially for someone as strapping as yourself. Are you frightened of me?"
Jaune didn't reply, shifting his weight only so much to remind himself of the holstered Zat on his thigh. He recognized the woman's type a minute after laying eyes on her, knowing that engaging her would be a terrible mistake. Severe enough of one without counting punishment from the higher ups. Not helping his mood was mild fatigue from ten hours of scouting across some uninhabited planet, concern over the paperwork that he still needed to do, and the slight (meaning skin crawling intense) anxiety over the inevitable 'talk' with the SGC's latest commander where he'd need to justify his team's oddities. The last in particular had him on edge, knowing his case depended on a call to the Pentagon.
"A pity. You act like the rest of them but you certainly don't look the part. Tell you what." her leg dropped when she leaned towards him, with his only response being his tensing fingers. "What do you say to you and me getting out of here? There must be something of interest on this planet, I've heard too many rumors about Earth to dismiss it all as gossip. Perhaps there's a nice spot to stay for the night."
Vala looked to say more, but footsteps from a side entrance caught both their attentions. Flicking his gaze up, Jaune noted the guest spinning back around, just in time to catch a familiar someone walking into the room.
Clad in an undone field uniform and sporting a neglected stubble on his face, the bespectacled man covered two paces before he halted. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Doctor Jackson." Jaune acknowledged respectfully.
"Daniel!" Vala exclaimed, rising to her feet with a large smile. She waved happily. "Oh it's been too long darling."
Daniel Jackson stuffed his hands in his pockets, expression twitching ever so slightly. Inhaling deeply, he pointed towards the arrival.
"What are you doing here?" he questioned tightly. The archeologist looked like he'd seen better days, certainly appearing to be more of an unkempt mess compared to the last time Jaune saw him.
Vala turned her cheek to him with a huff. "What, that's it? You don't visit, you don't call, and then you act like I insulted your honor. I'm offended Daniel."
"You tried to kill me." Daniel refuted calmly despite his deepening scowl.
"After you shot me. I'm the wronged party here." she waved off, which earned the increased twitching of the man's eyes.
The blond thought It'd be best to stop it here. Jaune cleared his throat, gathering newly acquired attention from the room.
"Sir, she claims to have an Ancient made tablet in the case." he said, pointing towards the silvery briefcase on the table, placed there by a guard after it was scanned for explosives or radiation.
"That's right." Vala proclaimed with a new smirk, crossing her arms under her bust (while facing the older man he observed). "I stole it."
Daniel had just started reaching for the case when he paused, sending a blank look towards her. "Beg your pardon?"
"This tablet, along with some other choice goods, belonged to a certain trader specializing in obscure artifacts. Now, what makes this particular tablet unique is what it leads to." Vala alluded conspiratorially, whispering quietly enough so that everyone in the room could hear. And beyond Jaune suspected, for not three seconds later; the office door adjacent to the conference room swung open, admitting two more inhabitants entering just like Daniel.
Taking note of Mitchell at the flank, the young man delivered a crisp salute to the leader, who gave a token nod to both him and the usual guards. A patrician face, a buzz cut, and a stern look in his eyes defined the man, reminding Jaune of his late grandfather though he could never figure out why. Unlike Hammond's sharp yet welcoming expression (at least before he retired), this man appeared to display an equal mix of disappointment and expectation to anyone he laid eyes on, as if he already judged whomever he faced and found them wanting. He had two stars on his uniform's shoulders, a fact that always made the blond nervous no matter who wore them.
Stopping at the head of the table, the SGC'S newest General stood up straight and huffed.
"Been here two days and this happens." he muttered, shaking his head before affixing a stern look upon Vala. "I'm General Hank Landry, and you interrupted my unpacking."
"Names Vala Mal Doran, and that's a shame." she replied with an insincere smirk. "Would you like to make a deal?"
"Depends, does it involve you leading an army to conquer Earth? This month's quota needs filling." Landry replied without missing a beat.
Vala grinned. "Ooh, snarky. I like it."
"About as much as I like having my morning coffee interrupted." he shrugged lackadaisical.
Staying quiet and unobtrusive like a junior officer was expected to do, Jaune tracked Mitchell moving to Daniel's side when he dragged the case over, halting when the bespectacled man popped the lid. Only once he reached inside did he notice the Colonel's presence, giving him a blinking glance.
"Doctor Jackson, I'm Cameron Mitchell. It's an honor to meet you in person." Mitchell held out an open hand, which the archeologist reluctantly took.
"Right, you too." Daniel creased his brow once he let go. "I think I know you. Weren't you the squadron leader in Antarctica?"
"That I was." Mitchell replied; although he smiled, Jaune caught a small wince.
"Then you saved our lives. Um, thanks?" the bespectacled man shrugged, unsure of what to say albeit there was no malice in it.
The info clicked: the Battle of Antarctica, where a trio of fighter squadron and a still damaged Prometheus held off three times their number of Goa'uld attackers. All to cover SG-1 locating an Ancient Outpost buried underneath the ice, and then subsequently using the unimaginably old technology within to destroy the fleet of Anubis holding in orbit. While the other wings lost several F302s that day; Blue Wing, nicknamed the Grimm Tidings after their last operation, only suffered one casualty. Jaune heard the broad strokes while on standby at the SGC, but he didn't receive the full story until a couple weeks afterwards.
Hiding a thoughtful frown, he wondered about Mitchell's status. The Colonel told him he was assigned to SG-1, but he was a pilot too? And a squadron leader at that? Although the blond mused that wasn't unheard of for the SGC, given how Carter and O'Neill were certified pilots.
"Just gotta say, I look forward to working with you in the future." he finished, beaming despite an aside glance from Landry.
Daniel raised a brow. "You're going to Atlantis too?"
"Ah, no-wait." the Colonel's smile dropped, replaced by a sudden frown.
"Reason I ask is I'm heading out later today, you actually caught me in the middle of packing my things." he explained, before leaning to the side and glowering. "I didn't want a snag before I finished cataloging."
"Me neither, but I think you'll be interested in what I have to say." Vala grinned.
"And that would be?" Landry posed dryly.
Instead of replying, she gestured towards the case. With a sigh Daniel reached inside and withdrew a black stone tablet, errantly brushing the padding away and flipping it around. He stared long and hard at the object rather than checking on the others, disregarding Mitchell leaning close to examine the writing.
"Doctor?" the General prompted expectantly.
"It's Ancient alright. Looks like late era dialect." Daniel lowered the tablet, sending a frown towards Vala when he set it down. "Good thing you stole it, because this whole thing's gibberish."
"Its a code, and I have the cipher." Vala corrected, grinning.
The archeologist crossed his arms with a huff. "Then what do you need me for?"
"While you're at it, why'd you come to us with this?" Landry stepped back in.
Four pairs of eyes bore down on Vala, although one kept stealing confused glances at the civilian in their midst. Despite the simmering hostility she stood firm.
"The man I stole this tablet from was adamant that it led to a secret treasure here on Earth. According to him, there's a cache of gold, artifacts, and technology rivaling a System Lord's hoard somewhere on this planet. Now you are correct." she explained with a pointed finger, displaying a grimace at the admission. "I know enough of the Ancient language to decode it, and I could've parked a ship somewhere to look for myself."
"So why didn't you?" Landry questioned flatly.
Vala smiled. "First of all, my knowledge of your world comes from rumors only. Although they're fascinating stories, there's far too little to go on. Secondly, going to you means I'll have this riddle solved in a day instead of a year."
"In exchange for taking a share of the treasure, that right?" Mitchell spoke up, catching another glance from the General for the interruption.
"It's only fair." she shrugged.
Daniel huffed. "Yeah, no. I don't have time to decipher an Ancient transcript, my rides waiting for-"
"Doctor Jackson." Landry's voice froze him on the spot, inadvertently causing the observer to stiffen as well. "The Daedalus doesn't leave for another eighteen hours, you can get a head start on this tablet."
"I see we have a deal." Vala smirked, heedless of him sucking in a breath through clenched teeth.
"Oh for…" Daniel rubbed his brow as the woman arose to skip towards him, bringing her hands together to beam. Although the blond did catch her peering at the case with a momentarily narrowed gaze; Jaune sensed there was something else inside, but he doubted it was dangerous.
But when the archeologist reached for the case, a hand beat him to it.
"Doctor Jackson, how about I accompany you?" Mitchell suggested insistently.
"Why?" Daniel asked flatly, sparing a sour look towards a shrugging Vala.
"I'd like to talk to you about an important matter." the man began. Whatever his plan was, Landry's cleared throat put an end to it.
"How about you take a tour of the SGC first Colonel, seeing as you'll be staying here a while." the General offered, although his tone held a commanding edge.
"But sir-" Mitchell tried to protest, but one look silenced him.
"I'll speak to you later. In the meantime." Landry swiveled towards the guards, but when he reached the blond he did a double take, refocusing on him with a raised brow. "Who are you?"
Feeling beads of sweat on his forehead, Jaune gave him a quick salute. "Captain Jaune Arc of SG-25, sir."
"Arc." Landry repeated, breaking his blank stare only to flick towards his arm.
"Yes sir." he nodded, hoping his nervousness wasn't too obvious. Based on the odd look from the Colonel, he suspected that he was failing miserably.
"How old are you?" he probed with a frown.
"Twenty two sir." he answered promptly, squeezing a fist to steady himself.
"And… you're a Captain." Landry said disbelievingly. The General looked outright lost at his answer, until his expression suddenly wrinkled. "Let me guess, Jack."
He repeated with a quick nod. "Yes sir."
"Of course, probably didn't even look at the report…" he muttered, rolling his eyes before affixing him yet again. "Okay then kid, now why are you here?"
Mitchell's cleared throat saved him from reprisal. "That was my doing sir, I ordered Arc to accompany me in guarding Miss Mal Doran here."
"Well, isn't that flattering." Vala waved an arm, causing Daniel to grumble dangerously.
Landry was silent for a moment, pursing his lips ever so slightly in thought. Jaune didn't make a peep, mentally going over a rough script in his head for this exact occasion, and hoping he would be permitted a phone call. To this day he didn't fully grasp why O'Neill reversed his stance on his team's inclusion, but he wasn't going to complain.
At last the General let his shoulders sag. "Fine, you're it. Arc, show Mitchell around the place. I need to go over some things it seems."
"Yes sir." Jaune nodded shakily, forcing himself to stay together. A quick swallow removed the lump in his throat by the time he glanced aside. "If you'll follow me sir."
Mitchell flashed a grimace, but he walked away without further prompting. Together, Jaune led them out of the conference room and towards the lower levels, both men silent compared to the background chatter in every direction.
The blond felt eyes boring into his back when he passed the control room, picking out Walter's distinctive voice over the constant humming. He knew he should've been pointing at things as they passed, being a helpful tour guide for the newcomer (and superior officer), but he held his tongue; Jaune knew he was due for a question and answer session, whether he wanted to or not. Sensing the Colonel moving to his flank, he slowed his pace enough to match his, peripherally discovering the halls were clearing somewhat. Enough for a conversation at least.
"So, Arc." Mitchell began, eyeing him carefully.
"Yes sir?" Jaune replied. Taking a left down a secondary corridor, he made his way towards his team's usual armory.
He scrunched up his features, releasing a quiet sigh. "I got a ton of questions, but for now, I'll just say I'm sorry about back there."
"It's no problem sir." he lied.
"I just…" Mitchell hesitated, his gaze fell on the blond's arm. "You don't happen to know about SG-1, do you?"
Now it was Jaune's turn to hesitate, clearing his throat before halting at a small alcove. Sparing a quick glance around, he faced the Colonel's wary look and smoothed out his expression.
"Colonel Mitchell, I was gonna tell you this in the Gate Room, but… SG-1's been unofficially disbanded." he stated flatly.
The older man blinked repeatedly. "Disbanded."
"Yes sir."
"For how long?" he questioned, crestfallen.
"Their last mission was almost six months ago sir. Doctor Jackson's been petitioning for a reassignment to Atlantis, he was just approved two weeks ago. As you heard." the blond explained, going quiet when a man in a lab coat bustled past mumbling under his breath.
"Lieutenant Colonel Carter? Teal'c?" Mitchell asked insistently, unlike him paying no mind to his surroundings.
"Colonel Carter was put in command of Area 51's R&D division sir, I'm not privy to the details." he replied, watching his expression fall. "Teal'c left the program over a month ago, last I checked he's on Dakara helping run the Free Jaffa Nation."
The Colonel expression was hollow. "So… SG-1 is…"
"Just you sir." he finished, feeling a wince when the Colonel turned away.
Mitchell didn't cry or break down, nothing so dramatic. But the blond could see his desolation; the man turned from him, almost letting his cover drop to the floor while he gripped his face. His breath left in short and fast hisses, gritting his teeth while his fingers squeezed together, hard enough to leave red imprints that faded quickly. His other fist clenched, almost shaking despite forcing himself to be still. For a moment he feared the older man would throw a punch, whether towards the wall or him, but he visibly reined in the impulse.
"You've gotta be kidding me." he mumbled under his breath, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. "Went through hell just to walk again, and now…"
"I'm sorry sir." he offered sympathetically. There was little he could do besides apologize.
Mitchell ended up slumping his shoulders, shaking away his pained grimace. "Alright, alright. Just… show me around for now."
"Yes sir, I just need to visit the armory for a minute. Have to drop this off." Jaune patted the holster for emphasis, drawing the Colonel's eye. "A Zat'nik'tel Colonel, but everyone around here calls these Zats."
When Mitchell gestured with a couple fingers, he presented the weapon with some trepidation. "This is alien gun, isn't it?"
"Yes sir. They're not standard issue, but they might as well be. The only thing an M9 has on this is range." he explained, flipping it around.
"I'll take your word for it." Mitchell nodded, waving for him to get moving. Jaune saw that he was still upset, but he was after a distraction from his woes, one he could easily grant.
Replacing the Zat to its holster, he just turned away when the Colonel cleared his throat.
"What about that?" he pointed to his arm, where the bracer was still securely strapped in place.
Facing him yet again, the blond steadied himself before replying. "This is mine sir."
Upon seeing no objection, Jaune jerked his arm; the bracer unfolded with a clank, transforming into a triangular shield large enough to cover his torso. Mitchell's eyes went wide, roaming over the presented surface in all its detail. Most of the shield was covered by an ivory paint, while the edges were lined by laminated bronze. In the center was his personal emblem of twin rising crescents, emblazoned by a slightly darker shade of bronze, the inlaid metal not quite thick enough to fully hide the starship grade armor segments underneath. No scratches or dents marred its form, the shield appearing almost mythical compared to his utilitarian outfit.
Mitchell whistled. "Impressive. Mind if I…?"
Jaune nodded, freeing his grip and handing it over. The Colonel gingerly accepted, fumbling with his placing until he too held it like the blond, his palm securely wrapped around the smallish handle. Tugging for a moment to test its weight, he presented the shield's face to the young man with an expectant look.
"Gotta say, this looks real fancy. Now how did you…" Mitchell trailed off with a small frown, raising a brow when he mimicked his arm moving. Giving it an experimental jerk of his own, the man jolted when the shield folded back up with a swift clank, becoming a large bracer yet again.
"What do you think sir?" Jaune asked when the man numbly returned it.
"Plenty impressed, but…" he pursed his lips, appearing to debate on his wording. "I've seen stuff like this before. Transforming weapons."
The blond habitually rechecked the shield when he paused, raising his brow towards him. "You have sir?"
"Yeah." Mitchell unexpectedly put on a tiny smile, pointing at him. "You're from Remnant, aren't you?"
Were he asked this question while outside of Cheyenne Mountain, Jaune would dismiss the inquiry and then contact Stargate Command immediately. A new security leak was bound to cause chaos at the base, an unwelcome but not surprising change from the quiet times of late. But where he was now, with who wanted to know, he didn't have to hide the truth.
"I am sir." He stated in as neutral of a tone as he can manage.
"Thought so, with that shield you got. I heard presentations before I came here, they're starting to phase some of that tech into public hands right now. H&K, Fabrique Nationale, and Berretta are having a field day with this stuff." the Colonel chuckled.
Jaune followed suit. There was a buzz inside and off base when the news came; many if not most scientists, Colonel Carter included, pushed for spreading the technology obtained from the Gate into people's hands. It proved to entrench their worth as the investment of billions of dollars were already showing dividends.
With the feeling of the tone letting loose, Colonel Mitchell gave him a small smile. "I read in a report that there's a… a team of you guys on the payroll. You're supposed to be stronger and tougher than normal people, and you have custom weapons everywhere."
"Something like that sir." he downplayed with a shrug.
"Base personnel have been calling you Jedi, and I guess it makes sense, considering what your homes like." he shrugged, going quiet for a moment when a couple men passed by. "I've been there you know. Well, flew there."
The pieces fell into place.
"You fought in the Second Battle of Beacon, Colonel?" Jaune asked with no small amount of surprise.
"Sure did. Lead Blue Squadron from LEO to that party." Mitchell confirmed, putting on a proud smile. "Made ace in a minute. Too bad the brass said those bird monster things didn't count, but those smaller fliers still did."
"Um, wow. Well, that's impressive sir." he nodded quickly, stifling his stunned expression.
The man shrugged sheepishly, until he raised a brow. "Were you there too?"
"I was…" Jaune glanced away, blanching.
Snapping its jaws centimeters from his face, the Beowolf snarled as it struggled to get past his shield. Jaune roared back when he shoved it away, stumbling the lupine monster long enough to swing. One slash carved it open from the neck to the hip, ending its unlife instantly, but just as it died another charged through the resulting ash, tearing up puffs of torn soil on the path him. He sidestepped just in time, ears ringing from gunfire and explosions and a thousand shouting voices, and bashed the Grimm to unbalance it, and skewered this one too. No sooner had he inhaled a mouthful of ash did the ground shake, revealing a two story tall Deathstalker raring back just a few meters away with its massive pincers slicing towards him-
"...there yeah." he answered, wincing at the man's raised brow.
"Oh, kay." Mitchell went slowly, showing a wrinkled expression for a moment. "So then Arc, the armory. Say, are there any more of, you know, those?" he gestured to the shield. "Think I wanna get my hands on one."
More footsteps swiftly filled the men's ears, but unlike the rest, this pair abruptly halted. A twist of his head showed Jaune an unexpected (but very welcome) surprise.
Lie Ren processed the sight in a millisecond, and saluted the older man. "Colonel, sir."
"At ease." he returned briefly, brow creasing when the dark haired man (clocking in at several centimeters taller than him) turned towards his leader.
"Captain Arc." Ren began, the barest hint of hesitation in his tone. "There's a situation, I need your assistance."
"Is it urgent, Airman?" Jaune added the last part quickly, facing his friend gravely.
"A Code NPP." he stiffly replied.
The blond pursed his lips, grimacing when he spared a worried glance at his new superior. "Its bad, but I'm in the middle of escorting Colonel Mitchell around…"
"Wait, a Code what now?" Mitchell butted in with a raised hand.
"It's a potentially serious problem sir. Nothing life threatening, but there could be severe collateral damage to the SGC." Ren explained flatly.
Color drained from the man's face. "That's not good."
"No it isn't sir." Jaune faced the Colonel and squared his shoulders. "I do believe Airman Ren can handle this alert on his own sir, since you do need a tour-"
"No way." Mitchell shook his head empathetically. "You go take care of this Arc, I'll… I'll just find someone else to show me where things are."
"Are you sure Colonel?" he pressed, briefly locking gazes with his companion.
"Yeah, its fine. Go." he gestured away.
"Thank you sir, control rooms that way." Jaune pointed as he backed away, letting the newcomer take the lead into the hallway proper.
Before they vanished, Ren glanced over his shoulder. "I'd advise you not to go down that hallway sir, Doctor Lee is testing the new gamma ray laser in his lab. The radiological alarms should trip if there's a problem though."
"Wait, radiation-" he jerked forward, too late to stop both men from powering off almost at a sprint.
Mitchell halted in the middle of the walkway, just catching the two vanish around a corner. His shoulders slumped a moment later, composing himself with a grimace. But just as he closed his eyes to sigh, his head snapped up.
"Wait, which way did he point?" he asked quickly, sweeping his head around worriedly. "And what's an NPP alarm?"
000000
Colorado Springs, hours later…
"I still can't believe he fell for that." Jaune shook his head for the umpteenth time, bringing up his ladle for a cautious taste; the tomato soup was too bland for his liking, necessitating a sigh and another pinch of spices. From the small table a couple meters away from his stove, he heard a sharp clank.
"Let's just hope he doesn't catch on, or else you'll get in trouble." said Pyrrha, setting down the mechanical contraption she was working on and checking her tee shirt for grease. "Still, thanks for coming to the rescue. I was worried I'd have to write her entire report again. Nora's Paperwork Problems are so much trouble."
Jaune chuckled, setting the shaker down to stir further. The scent wafting from his pot was filling the small kitchen with a delicious odor, fueling the rumble in his stomach. A distinctive growl made him twist around, laying eyes on the redhead and the vaguely M4 shaped rifle set on the table before her, and smiled at her blush.
"Hungry?" he asked cheekily, watching Pyrrha roll her eyes. When he killed the stove she dropped her tools onto a mat and pushed them out of the way, still being careful with the incomplete weapon. With that done she left her chair, making her way to the sink while he opened a drawer for bowls, digging around as she washed up.
A simple one bedroom abode, the apartment jointly inhabited by Jaune and Pyrrha wasn't much to look at by many definitions. A living room connecting to a kitchen, a bathroom, and a lone bedroom, the place had a soft color palette for its decor, emulating their long gone dorm at Beacon. A few framed photos dotted the walls, although most were just of their friends and family, each picture shot in such a way to hide their extraterrestrial origins. The only truly unusual addition to the apartment was a new bench beside the couch, laden by a host of tools and a bin of various scraps; there was a similar setup in his office at Cheyenne Mountain, although this one lacked the exotic materials the SGC employed.
In this place, they could relax. No worrying about Grimm, no threat of terrorist attacks, no sudden arrivals of enthusiastic friends or nosy family, and certainly no need to keep up the chain of command masquerade. There was no rank between them here, just casual wear and even more casual attitudes.
"How's the custom rifle coming along?" Jaune asked, pouring a helping of the steaming soup.
Grabbing a towel, Pyrrha brushed her red mane out of the way. "So far so good, think I'll have it done in a couple hours."
"Carolina is gonna love it." he commented, handing over the bowl once she finished.
"I know." she winced at the heat, quickly retreating towards the table. "She was making noise about arming the whole team with these, but it'll take them a while to learn the details. Until they do I'd be the only one who could fix them without going offworld."
"True. Think we can talk Landry into hiring a weaponsmith?" he too winced at the heated bowl, hurriedly replacing the pan before scooting after her.
"Doubt it." she shook her head, the pair sitting down to face each other as he retrieved spoons.
Handing the utensil over, Jaune plopped into his seat and looked on expectantly. "Okay, this is the first time I've tried this recipe. What do you think?"
Taking a spoonful of the red liquid, she blew to dissipate the steam as much as she could, cautiously sipping. Pyrrha swirled it in her mouth for a moment, until she perfunctorily swallowed. The entire time, the blond alternated between hope and fear at her reaction.
Thinking for a moment, the redhead smiled weakly. "It's good?"
Jaune immediately groaned, his face landing in his propped up hands.
"I mean it, this is good." she insisted, her open hand outstretched to stop him.
"Its bland, don't lie." went his muffled voice.
Pyrrha winced. "...just a little bit."
His hands dropped, displaying his wrinkled face when he leaned back. A sigh left him.
"Knew it." he muttered.
"You just have to use more spicing is all. And honestly, I'm not exactly a good benchmark." she tried.
"Yeah." Despite himself Jaune winced, recalling a chicken stew she made a month ago; for a time he feared his taste buds were permanently scoured.
"Don't be afraid to add more." she shrugged hopefully. "Just be glad you're not cooking something for my mother. She makes my cooking taste bland."
"I know." he shuddered, resigning himself to dig in.
Dinner went smoothly afterwards as the duo finished off the soup without further conversation. Once the bowls were empty Pyrrha offered to wash dishes, but Jaune shook his head.
"You finish that, I'll do these up." he said, taking the bowl.
Although if the blond was being honest with himself, he wasn't entirely pleased by her current task. Sure it was a gift for her mentor's birthday, and privately crafted weapons enjoyed a favorable reputation in the SGC; six different team leaders had one, with the most versatile being Colonel Reynolds' so called Semper Fi. They were seen as status symbols, a reward for valorous service or skill at arms, with the only real drawback being their maintenance intensive nature. Pyrrha's new creation was as much a masterpiece of design as it was a gift. But still Jaune slumped, methodically wiping down the handful of dishes with little enthusiasm. They were off duty, and she was going to be busy for a while yet-
A pair of arms encircled him by the waist, jolting him out of his woolgathering. He was unprepared when the redhead pressed herself onto his back, exhaling on his shoulder.
"P-Pyrrha-" he stuttered, squirming reflexively.
"It's been a long day." she spoke softly.
Jaune gulped, despite feeling a goofy smile coming on. "What about the rifle?"
"Tuning later, shower now." Pyrrha gripped just hard enough to twist him around, his hands still sopping wet when he came face to face with her sly grin. "I'm in the mood for a bath. Care to join me?"
Jaune's grin was as sappy as his feelings.
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A/N: I was originally going to use Grimm Reapers for Blue wing's nickname, but I found out its already taken by a USN squadron based in Florida.
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Interlude, in a galaxy far, far away…
Run.
A lone Wraith sprinted through the forest, fearfully glancing over its shoulder the entire time. Branches slapped against its leather clad form as it dashed, exploiting its superhuman biology to the fullest. Its very survival depended on escaping.
How this Loner ended up in this situation was as simple as it was baffling: humans from the forever accursed Atlantis were on the planet below, interlopers who arrogantly made a den in the Lantean Capital.
Arriving to this world via portal, on foot, they were too tempting to resist. The Queen gave it and a band of warriors a simple order to capture them, sending the hunters down via Dart. Striking back at their old foes' children was one thing, but potentially finding their home world, an untouched place rumored to contain billions of delicious morsels, was another. Loner felt great pride when the Queen chose it for this task.
But right now, Loner was cursing its luck. Especially when an exposed tree root snagged its foot, sending the Wraith tumbling into a dried up riverbed with a snarl. Landing with a thump, Loner backed under cover of a dead log, listening intently: shouts and trampled branches reached its ears, from the other members of the human party. Quite unlike the demon in their midst, even though they slew half of the warriors in a hail of gunfire. Pressing itself against the soft earth, the Wraith made as little noise as possible.
Heart thudding in its chest, Loner listened to the human voices rising, coming closer… then fading. Its eyes were wide open, swiveling all over the green and brown of its hiding place.
Loner wasn't about to rule out a trap, for ever since those humans from Terra came to Pegasus there had been one unwelcome surprise after another. Hated Atlantis rising from the waves, a Hive destroyed in nuclear fire, a Cruiser blatantly stolen, a warship rivaling the Wraith's mightiest vessels laying low an entire armada, there was no end to their accomplishments. Loner knew it should be terrified of the Queen's wrath, but at the moment it only cared about staying alive.
When the voices subsided into the background, Loner cautiously crawled out of its hiding place. Breathing slowly, the Wraith swept its head around in a full circle, its white locks swaying with the movement. Nothing. Standing up fully, Loner checked again to find itself alone, not even wildlife in its vicinity. So why did it feel eyes crawling on its skin?
Loner turned around… and came face to face with the Demon. Sloppily dressed, unkempt, and leaning a blue splattered sword on his shoulder, the human smirked at the Wraith's dropped jaw.
"Hi there." greeted Qrow Brawen. A split second later his sword's point drove through the Wraith's chest, severing its spine before it could make a sound. With a flourish he ripped the blade out, sending a spray of hot blue blood raining on the dirt.
Retrieving a rag, Qrow turned to sedately walk towards Sheppard's position, wiping off his blade as Loner died wondering where that monster came from.