"Oh, wow!"
You had been expecting something great but this is really incredible. The smiling holographic girl is standing beside you projected from the wall. She's busy rattling off the hangers exact specifications but you are too enamored to analyze what she's saying, there will be time for that later.
Everywhere you look you see mechanical arms, munitions pallets piled high with missiles, shells, and ion canisters, and what looks to be numerous pieces of uncut metals and alloys as well as a forge to mold them into armor or spare parts or… anything! And there sitting in the bay closest to you is Crescent Rose. She is a type 19 high mobility assault platform and weighs 25 tons (fully loaded). She is outfitted with numerous weapon systems including a high powered gauss rifle, an energy blade for close encounters, and a pair of shoulder mounted flak cannons for dealing with fast moving craft or soft targets. her secondary systems include two back mounted and four leg mounted jump jets as well as a X-1 aura tech shield. And of course she's painted a ruby red. Crescent Rose is your sweetheart and you never feel more alive when you're sitting in the cockpit.
Penny has stopped talking now, and is looking at you expectantly.
"Sorry, Penny, I was kind of distracted, what did you say?"
"I asked if you would like to take a closer look, would you?"
"Yes! Absolutely, I would love to get down there."
"Very well, we will be departing in an hour or so, you can use the hanger to your heart's content, if you have need of me, simply call out my name and I will hear you."
With a burst of light and a quiet popping sound Penny disappears from sight. You immediately set our into the hanger eager to use the available hour to its fullest.
Walking over to crescent rose ideas on what exactly to do with the available time swirl around your head. A few ideas, you don't think you would have time to complete, but you think there might be just enough time to finish a little project you've been working on for some time now.
Pulling up a file on your databand, you then send the file to the service bay terminal itself, a few prompts are triggered and you input the necessary information. It takes awhile for the computer to render your design, but eventually it does and immediately the many mechanical arms of the hanger spring to life and begin to execute your plan.
It's a flurry of movement, one which you watch with rapt attention, after all they are working on your sweetheart and you always love to be a part of Crescent Rose's work. In fact you've been in trouble a few times yourself for arguing with the combat engineers over how they've treated Crescent Rose in the past. She may "just" be a type 19, but she's yours.
While you continue to watch the arms work, you think about your upcoming assignment. While you have never done contract work like this before you have a pretty good idea of what to expect thanks to the stories of some of your old squad mates, and from what you've read on the net.
You hope that they don't ask you to do anything you're not comfortable with, while you love the work you do, you don't always love some of the things it requires you to do. The whole point of joining the military was to be able to help people, but sometimes you feel like you do more harm than good.
Enough of those thoughts Ruby, it's all fine you just gotta trust that the people in charge know what they're doing. We're all people, you're sure they care about others just as much as you do.
An hour passes by quicker than you would have thought possible, being lost in thought like that will make time seem to fly by. The mechanical arms are almost finished as well, they seem to applying a military grade sealer, and after that your masterpiece will be complete. The screen gives a crisp beep and flashes a green check mark indicating that the procedure is finished. As the arms retract back into the ceiling and floor you step back to bask in your mutual creation.
Crescent Rose has never looked better. She now gleams with a brilliant red and black color and shines like she just came off the assembly line, while the color is not standard issue you figured that since you aren't technically working a military op it would be okay,
"Second lieutenant."
The sudden sound of Penny's voice startled you enough to make you jump, you aren't sure if you'll get used to it.
"Yes Penny?"
"I must inform you that we are about to enter watp, and that I would suggest you find somewhere to sit down as nausea and vertigo are common side effects."
"Thanks Penny, I'll head back to my quarters."
"Acknowledge, I'll imitate warp once you've returned to your quarters."
You turn to go, but you hesitate, you run up to Crescent Rose and hug her leg. It's so thick you can only wrap your arms around like a third, but you don't think Crescent Rose minds.
Arriving back at the bunks you lie down and close your eyes, waiting for what comes next.
Penny's voice comes from an unseen source, "Initiating warp in 5...4...3...2…1, entering warp."
Immediately you can feel the ship and the space around you bending and warping, your stomach is doing flips, the whole room feels like it is spinning, and it is difficult to think straight, but as soon is it came it passes and everything settles to normal.
Letting out a sigh, you roll over and try to get some sleep, you've got a good impression to make and you don't want to mess it up.
You are Penny, an artificial being. Most girls are born, but you were made, your body is a massive 80 meter starship cruising through the warp at 5.5 SLs. You also have enough firepower to destroy a prewar city, and that's before taking into account what rests in your service bay. The avatar that you project out of your body is also you, a young girl that wants to have friends and to do her best. These two aspects are both very different, but both equally you.
You were made for combat, you yearn for it, but here in the empty void between stars, you just want someone to talk to. It just so happens you do have a someone to talk to, but she is sleeping. You're programmed to be patient but it doesn't make it much better. This is your first real mission and you want to do it right.
Over the course of the next four days you and the second lieutenant have fallen into a routine. With ruby spending most of her time in the hanger constantly tinkering and making modifications to her battleform, you have been there silently observing and providing Ruby with conversation as well as technical advice on the operation of your systems. Ruby seems to enjoy your company and you feel… happy because of it. You've never had a friend before, but after reviewing the technical definition of it, you think Ruby qualifies.
However, you want to be sure of this, so you decide to confirm it. You decide to ask Ruby directly. She's busy working on her type 19, Crescent Rose as she calls it, and you consider forgetting the whole thing, but you push forward.
"Second lieutenant,"
"Penny I told you that you can just call me Ruby," Ruby continues to work on her type 19, eschewing the aid of the automated systems and opting to manually load it's gauss rifle, an act she describes as "foreplay".
"I know, it's just protocol, but anyway, I wanted to ask you something."
Ruby pauses from her work and wipes sweat from her brow. "What is it Penny?"
"Are we friends?" Ruby doesn't immediately answer and you spend the next few seconds tensely awaiting her reply.
Ruby smiles warmly "Of course we're friends Penny!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't we be, you've been nothing but nice and I really have enjoyed your company these past few days, why on earth would we not be friends?"
"Well, when I imagined having friends in the past I have always imagined myself as a human girl, like my holoprojection, but well that's not the real me, I'm a tool of war, this ship is who I am, and well, who would want to be friends with a ship?"
Ruby just smiles even wider. "I would! Penny I think that you're amazing! Do you think that I'm friends with you in spite of the fact that you're a super strong weapon? I think that's incredible! And you're so smart and kind! Did you really think just cause I'm made of guys and your made of hyper dense alloys and wires that we couldn't be friends?"
"Well a little…"
Ruby looks shocked by your admission "Penny, you're one of the coolest girls I've met, and I would be honored to be called your friend."
Ruby can't see it, but you're smiling.
Finally you have exited the warp. You have spent the last couple of days working on your battleform, and befriending the shipboard AI. You've had some of the best times you've had in a long time, and if this assignment was supposed to be a punishment you wish you would be punished more often. But now it's about time to get to work, get your game face on so to speak.
"Ruby, we've arrived in the Reha system and will be docking momentarily."
Looking out the window you get a look at Reha and its many moons. Reha is a brown dwarf, hot little gas giant too small to be a star, not small enough to be easily mined. It's moon However is mineral rich and was purchased in total by the Schnee Interplanetary Mining Company. This moon glows brilliantly illuminated by the dull red glow of it's wannabe star, as well as pockets of manmade lights indicating extensive mining operations. A decently sized orbital platform is anchored to the planets surface by a space elevator.
As you make your approach towards the orbital habitat two fighter drones decouple from their platform and begin to approach.
"Attention Atlesian Military Transport, you are entering privately owned space, submit valid identification, or vacate immediately."
Penny transmits over your identification and mission parameters and the drones slow their approach.
"Identification verified, please proceed to spaceport 01, welcome to Reha station."
As you look through the viewport at the approaching station, you start to feel apprehensive. While it was great fun to play with the advanced equipment available to you on the ship, it was also very distracting, and over the four days in transit you didn't really prepare for your assignment. Hopefully whoever your commanding officer can fill you in.
The ship enters into the well illuminated hanger, docking clamps extend outward and attach themselves with a metallic 'thunk'!
"Ruby, docking procedure is complete, you may now exit the ship. Your type 19 has been made completely operational and is being unloaded."
"Thanks Penny, for everything, I'll hopefully see you again."
"Thank you Ruby, and good luck with your mission!"
Following the indicators you exit the ship and enter Reha station proper, as soon as you pass over the bulkhead a man in a white uniform with a visor that obscured everything but his mouth is there to greet you.
"Miss Xiao Long, we've been expecting your arrival, if you would please follow me the governess wishes to see you."
"Well uh, lead the way."
He nods his head, turns in place and begins walking off into the station, you follow behind trying your best to play it cool. All around you men and women in wearing the same uniform walk through out the station, some are reading reports on their data bands, others seem to just be marching just to march, but all of them are well kept and orderly, most stations are complete chaos of movement, but here everything is eerily calm and orderly.
After a short walk you arrive at a ornately carved set of wooden doors. Your escort leans over to you and whispers "Don't speak unless spoken to, and be sure to show proper respect."
Before you have a chance to respond he turns and walks back the way you came. Now even more nervous than ever, you tentatively knock on the door.
"Enter," a feminine voice from the other side calls out.
You take a deep breathe and then swing open the doors. While you don't exactly know what you had been expecting it wasn't this. Inside is a spartanly furnished office with a single ornate wooden desk and an uncomfortable looking Plato. Chair in front of it. The desk is cluttered with paper and data pads and… rocks?
A women with long white hair tied up into a bun is sitting behind this desk, she is deeply absorbed into a data pad that she scrolls through at a brisk pace. Two guards flank her, they both hold P-21 plasma rifles. You hope you get one of those!
"Sit," the women commands without looking up from her data pad.
You sit.
She continues to scroll through her data pad paying you little mind, and you almost open your mouth to say something before you remember that guards warning. Instead you try to wait as patiently as you can, your eyes flicking around the room trying to find something to focus on. Settling for the guards P-21's you lose yourself in a little daydream involving you acquiring one by doing a super job doing whatever it is your supposed to do. Honestly they could pay you in one of those and you'd be just fine with it!
"So, let's get down to business, shall we?"
"Huh, what?" Snapping out of your daydream you turn to see the woman has put down her reports and is looking right at you.
"My name is Winter Schnee, I am the overseer for all operations here on this station and the planet below, and you are Ruby Xiao Long, correct."
You swallow nervously and then give a quick salute "Y-yes ma'am, second lieutenant Xiao Long reporting for duty!"
She smiles "Respect, that's good, I demand respect but not just respect. I also demand that you complete the tasks set before you and that you do so with efficiency and grace. If you can do those three things then you will excel here."
She she puts her hands under her chin and leans in trying to get a better look. Sizing you up, you feel like her prey and you squirm a little in your seat.
"Do you know why the Company choose this inhospitable rock miss Xiao Long?"
You shake your head no.
The overseer picks up a hunk of rock off of her desk and holds it in front of you. "It is because of this, ore, minerals, it has made us very wealthy,"
She sets the ire down. "And do you know why you are here miss Xiao Long?"
"No ma'am"
"You are here because we Schnees learned long ago that it is often more profitable to solve a problem rather than to let it fester, and since the government sees fit to let this problem continue to grow and spread unchecked, the Schnee Interplanetary Mining Company seeks to put an end to it before it does anymore damage." She looks at you waiting for a reply.
"What is the problem exactly ma'am"
Winter hits a button on her desk opening a panel in the wall which reveals the planet below.
"Tell me, you've been in the army for awhile now, what do you think of the Faunus?"
At the mention of the Faunus about a dozen or so different training exercises and military courses flash through your mind. Everyone knew about the Faunus, a mysterious alien race that suddenly appeared one day, no one knew their real motivations, their numbers, even their technology was poorly understood. They were unpredictable and dangerous. Sometimes they would completely ignore human activity, other times they would slaughter entire settlements down to the last child. The interstellar community was unsure how to proceed and had no official policy when it came to them.
"I know that they are very dangerous ma'am"
Winter snaps "do you now, have you ever seen a Faunus before? If not let me assure you of one thing, they are not peaceful and their intentions are nothing but malevolent, since they appeared the Schnee Interplanetary Mining Company has been targeted by these xenos and the Interstellar community has done nothing to help."
Winter stands from her desk and walks over to the window looking down at the planet below. "They always say they are 'too busy trying to contain the grimm' or that they 'don't want to further provoke them' meanwhile my family's company is being pillaged and burned by these alien interlopers"
"I am sorry to hear that miss Winter, but what exactly am I here to do?"
Winter lets out a sigh "The Faunus are here miss Xiao Long, they have been for some time. They have been killing our workers, destroying our infrastructure, and most importantly they have been stealing our ore."
"Rather than wait around for the council to make an official decision we have purchased our own army, our security budget has been increased by 300% and as such you are now employed at the Schnee Interplanetary Mining Company. Congratulations." She extends her hand and you take it, her handshake is light but firm, like a coiled spring.
"Um, thank you ma'am."
"You begin immediately, you will be escorted to the planets surface where you will meet with the planetbound director and the head of security. I believe you may know them."
That's interesting, you don't think you know anyone who works for the Schnee Interplanetary Mining Company. "Who?" You ask.
"Your sister, Yang Xiao Long."
Thanks for reading my story! Sorry it took so long, writing takes more time than I expected. Anyway I hope you liked this chapter and are eager for more. I have a blueprint for the story, but I am open to suggestions and criticism. Let me know if you enjoyed it! Thanks!