AN: Welcome back to VKS: Beacon. I'm not going to go into a big speech about our beloved Monty Oum I've already done that on Phoenix Rose. Instead, VKS along with my other two Fanfics and any others I write in the future are now dedicated to him. See you all next week in Phoenix Rose. Enjoy the journey and don't feed the guard dogs. - Phoenix Commander signing off
VKS is now yours Monty Oum. Rest in peace.
I'm accepting suggestions for a mission or faction/races and disposable OCs.
Thanks The Atlantean King as always.
I DO NOT OWN RWBY. IT IS THE SOLE PROPERTY OF ROOSTERTEETH PRODUCTIONS
Chapter Two – One drugged and Three walking
As Martin and the others approached the door to Thamior's apartment building he stopped them with a raised hand. "Before we go any further you need to know a few things." He looked at the marines as he said this. "First I am a prankster at heart, so is my brother. He loves to set traps, but hopefully I should be able to find them. So only step where I step and touch nothing! Second I will probably need your help to subdue him." He placed his on the pocket that held the sedatives. The squad nodded in reply. Unfortunately as the seven of them walked into the building one of the marines, a private named Griff, stepped too far to the left. The pressure pad triggered a springboard and launched him screaming like a girl. All the way back towards the waiting vehicles. He decided to wait outside for the rest of the stay there. Martin only chuckled. "I warned you guys to step only where I do. That was only the first of many traps we may find." Wolf and the two other marines groaned, Martin only smirked and continued to the stairs leading up to his brother's apartment.
Thamior's Room
Capt. Thamior "Phantom" Rose is a 40-year-old phoenix, of average height, with black hair streaked with blue, a pale complexion and a strong face with blue eyes. He is a sniper in the Marine Corp and, was just disturbed from preforming his daily maintenance on his sniper rifle by the sounds of screaming and the first of his traps going off.
"Great, sounds like Commander Ozpin really wants me to show up to work. To bad I have no intention of getting on that damn death trap called a falcon-dropship." Unfortunately for him though his brother was leading the group and he knew every trap that was in place. Thamior just continued cleaning his rifle. The name Flaming Phantom Fang was inscribed in white and blue on the barrel handguard. It did not entirely fit regulation standards but he had yet to meet a CO that complained. Especially when he was the top sniper in the Marine Corp.
He started whistling as he worked listening to the sound of shouting and traps firing. By the time he had finished the sounds had stopped. "Maybe they decided I wasn't worth the effort?" Thamior thought. As he finished the thought there was a knock on his door. Sighing he opened it to reveal his smiling nieces holding a coil of rope, his smirking brother and a wolf-faunus Marine SgtMaj, who was covered in custard and looked to be suffering from trap induced PTSD.
"I would ask what you are doing here but I already know and the answer is no! I refuse to get on that death trap called a falcon!" He said trying to scowl and ignore his nieces. Though he was secretly happy about deploying with them. He never could say no to them.
Martin's smirk grew into a grin. "I was hoping you would say that Bro." Ruby and Yang proceeded to tackle Thamior and hog-tie him with the coil of rope they had brought along.
As he struggled against his bonds he glared at his family. "Betrayed by my own nieces. You know I will get you three back right?" Martin only chuckled and pulled out the sedatives.
"Sure you will brother. Before we continue let me introduce your new subordinate. This is Sergeant Major Alex Wolf, try to keep from torturing him for a few months at least." Wolf only cringed as he remembered the custard bomb that had been set off in the stairwell. It was going to take a while to clean uniform off after going through that mess.
"Good to meet you SgtMaj. Sorry it had to be under these circumstances. Hopefully a proper introduction can be done later." Thamior said from his position on the couch.
"Now that the introduction is out of the way. Time to get you to your new duty station." Martin took out the syringe and filled it with the required amount of sedatives. "See you in a few hours brother." He stuck the needle in Thamior's arm and depressed the plunger. Twenty seconds later and Thamior was out cold and snoring quietly.
"I can't believe I just watched my superior officer get hog-tied and drugged by his own family." Wolf said.
Martin smirked at him. "You'll get used to it. It may be a necessity from time to time." He walked over and picked up Thamior's sniper rifle and placed it in its case. "Yang start taking your uncle's things to the vans. Ruby take the rifle and see if you can help get our escort back to the vans as well." He said while placing Thamior's footlocker and uniform by the door.
"On it dad." Ruby said a little too enthusiastically. She ended up having a difficult time trying to wake an unconscious Sgt. by the name of Simmons. He had taken a spring-loaded boxing glove to the face and was slumped against the wall. Yang had the idea to just drag him out to the waiting vans. She was holding Thamior's dress uniform. It was navy-blue with white trim and his crest on the shoulder. It is a blue burning rose. The sounds of banging and cursing could be heard throughout the building as Sgt. Simmons woke up mid transit.
"Alright Wolf, give me a hand with him would you?" Martin asked pointing at Thamior. He then proceeded to untie him and toss his left arm over his shoulder.
"Why do I get the feeling there will never be a dull moment with the two of you around?" Wolf asked as he stepped over to take Thamior's other arm.
"Hahahaha. He went down surprisingly easy for once. I think he was secretly happy to be deploying with Ruby and Yang." Martin laughed. As they waited for the elevator to reach them Martin said. "By the way the two of them are just as prank crazy as we are." The elevator chimed and the doors opened. They walked in half carrying and half dragging Thamior into the elevator with them. They managed to make it out without further incident. All though the landlord of the building yelled something about Thamior never getting his safety deposit back. Martin and Wolf managed to get the unconscious Phantom into the waiting van and strapped him into the seat with Ruby and Yang on either side of him. Martin and Wolf then climbed into the lead van. "Ok Wolf you know where we have to go next?" Martin asked.
Wolf, still distracted by the trouble the traps had caused said, "Huh? Oh, yeah we need to go and retrieve HMCM Fields from the base hospital. Then we go and get 1st Lt. Schnee and 2nd Lt. Belladonna at Vale Fleet HQ." The driver – Sgt. Simmons - started up the van and floored it to the hospital, he was trying to finish his job quickly. If he never saw the Rose family again he wouldn't complain.
The Vale Fleet Base Hospital
Outside the base hospital stands a woman with grey eyes, shoulder length red hair, and a face that is childlike, yet serious at the same time. 38-year-old phoenix-faunus Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Summer Fields waits for her transport to the VKS: Beacon. She is dressed in a white and red lab coat with a red blooming rose on the shoulder. The eagle and bars of her rank on her collar flashed in the sun. The lead van that was going to take her to the Vale Space Dock pulled up to the curb and the doors opened and out stepped a Naval Squadron Captain and the SgtMaj. in charge of the escort. They froze and snapped to attention saluting her. "Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Ma'am!" they said in unison. Summer's rank as Master Chief Hospital Corpsman places her on par with a Vice Admiral. She hated it and was never one for protocol. Although the Captain's eyes were not on her rank insignia, he was looking her dead in the eyes. As if there was something in them that could tell him something about her.
Summer on the other hand could see a brightness in his eyes that was pushing back against a deep sadness. It told her that he would do everything he could to keep friends and family safe. Whatever caused that sadness to be there would never happen again. Summer was sure of that. That light also said he was a little mischievous. Summer returned the salute and looked them over. The Sergeant Major's uniform was filthy almost as if he had just fought a war with custard bombs. The Captain was the first to break the awkward silence. "Do you need a hand with you locker Ma'am?" He asked.
She smirked and shook her head. "No thank you Captain I can manage." She popped open the hatch and stowed her locker in the back. "Before we head out though let's get one thing straight. I did not get this rank to be saluted every five feet. It may be against protocol but from here on out call me Summer or Doctor Fields if you can't manage that." The look of shock the two men gave each other brought a smile to her face.
As the three of them climbed into the van the Captain was the first to regain his composure, that mischievous gleam was in his eyes. "If that's the case Summer. Then you can call me Martin or Phoenix if you can't manage that." By looking into Summer's eyes and not seeing her rank Martin had been able to learn a little about her as a person. He was captivated by what her eyes had told him. Summer Fields was the kind of person who would be first in line to help someone if they needed it. She would never take the easy road and she had a drive to live life to the fullest. That last quality was what captivated him the most.
Summer let a light smile show as she looked at Martin. "Well played Martin. It seems I've finally met someone who sees me as a person instead of seeing my rank." She thought. Summer could care less about her rank. She wasn't a Master Chief Hospital Corpsman because she was good at her job, but because she cared enough to help soldiers who needed it. If there was one thing she wanted in life it was to be noticed not because of her rank, but because of the kind of person she was. "Why does his name and call sign sound familiar?" She leaned back in her seat and looked at the SgtMaj. "So SgtMaj. What is our next stop?"
Wolf had been keeping an eye on his new friend Phoenix. Martin hadn't taken his eyes off of Summer since they had gotten in the van. He looked like a love struck puppy. "Well I know the military life, after the pirate attack he must have stayed single and refused to let others get close again. Looks like he finally found someone he would be willing to let in. Good for you Phoenix, now you just need to man up and talk to her outside of professional situation." Wolf thought. Summer's question pulled him from his thoughts. "Please Doctor Fields, just call me Wolf. We need to go and retrieve 1st Lt. Weiss Schnee and 2nd Lt. Blake Belladonna from Fleet HQ. Then we head to the VKS: Beacon."
She nodded and pulled out her data pad. It was always a good idea to read up on people you would be working with for the foreseeable future. Her eyes widened as she realized why she recognized the name Martin and the call sign Phoenix. The person sitting beside her was a hero from the battle of the MKS: Temple. "Oh, well at least I won't be bored with him around." Most of Martin's past was either covered in black ink or extremely vague.
The only thing she could read was that he was indeed a Phoenix. The reports of insubordination and troublemaking, also that he had turned down two recent promotions to the rank of Major. At the bottom of the page it said that he had lost his wife in a pirate attack a few years back during the Faunus Insurrection. After that he had stayed planet side teaching at the academy to raise his daughters. Now that they were deploying with him he had no reason to stay on Vale. "Well that explains the depression I saw in his eyes. Maybe this tour is what he needs to get his spirit back. Who knows I'll probably get to find out why his reputation labels him a troublemaker as well." Summer thought with a smile. She had no idea what she was getting into. "I'm willing to bet the rest of his family are riding in the other van. It is strange that so many phoenix will be on board VKS: Beacon. I wonder what my brother has planned?"
Ruby and Yang
"So Rubes what are the chances dad will open up to the HMCM?" Yang asked. She had noticed the look that had been in his eyes when he saw her, a spark that had been absent for a long time.
Ruby had a smile on her face as she devoured her cookie supply. She paused mid cookie and replied. "They look pretty good. It's nice to see that look again. Hasn't been the same since mom." They both drifted off in thought about that ill-fated tour. After the pirate attack Martin took up a job as a flight instructor at the Fleet Academy. He was never quite the same after that. They had tried to get him to go out and find someone but it seemed that he had developed a shell that only his family could get through.
Now it seemed he found someone - other than Ruby, Yang, and Thamior - that might be able to melt that shell. Thamior shifted in his sleep between the sisters as they started planning ways to get Martin and Summer together. Needless to say the plans ranged from impractical to flat out insane. The look that Ruby had been referring to was his drive to live life to the fullest. Martin had entered a deep depression when their mother had died. His drive to experience life had darkened. It seemed that the appearance of one Dr. Fields had brought that light back. If she could bring their father out of his depression and make him happy, then they would do everything they could to bring them together. The convoy of vans took off down the road to the Vale Fleet HQ to retrieve the last of the travelers. The driver shared a grin with his squad mate in seat beside him. The nightmare of the last few hours would soon be over. They couldn't wait for it to end.
Vale Fleet Head Quarters
1st Lt. Weiss Schnee and 2nd Lt. Blake Belladonna are standing on the steps of the Vale Fleet HQ discussing their first duty assignment. Weiss was in her dress uniform it was white with a light blue trim. The bar of her rank shined on her collar and her crest - a snowflake - on her left shoulder.
Blake was dressed similarly though her uniform was black with white trim. A belladonna flower was on her left shoulder. "So Weiss any idea who will be deploying with us?" Blake asked her white clad counterpart.
"Not really, for some reason the deployment orders for the VKS: Beacon have been kept rather quiet." Weiss thought back to her classes. She knew that Ruby and Yang had graduated with them and that Martin and Thamior no longer had a reason to stay here. Maybe they would be deploying as well. The four girls had met during the academy and after some initial difficulties slowly became friends. Their classmates had dubbed them un-officially RWBY squadron. The two vans that were taking them to the Vale Space Dock pulled up to the sidewalk both the drivers seemed agitated. The white and black Lieutenants found out why when the doors of the vans opened. Martin Rose stepped out onto the sidewalk accompanied by Wolf and Summer. The pair froze they hadn't expected to see him again so soon after graduation or the fact that the Corpsman equivalent of a Vice Admiral was with him.
After shaking off the shock they snapped him and Summer a salute that was promptly returned. After the formalities were dealt with Martin broke the silence. "I take it you were not expecting to see me again?" He asked with a laugh.
Blake found her voice first. "More or less Captain."
Martin raised an eyebrow asked, "What did I say about my rank?"
Weiss finally found her voice and spoke up. "Only use it when in the cockpit otherwise stick to the call sign or your name." Martin smiled slightly he glad to see that at least that much of his lessons had stuck with the pair.
"Phoenix we should be heading out or we'll miss our window to rendezvous with the Beacon." Wolf interrupted. Martin walked over to the back of the second van and opened the hatch to make room for the Weiss and Blake's footlockers. When he turned to give them a hand they both refused. He wasn't going to get them to ignore all of the protocols. No matter how much they annoyed him.
"Everyone ready to get this show on the road?" Summer asked. The group nodded in reply. As the pair moved to the second van Summer called out placing a hand on Martin's shoulder. "I'm the same as your old instructor here when it comes to protocol. Stick with either Summer or Doctor Fields." The pair noticed the change in their former instructor's eyes and glanced at each other before climbing into the van.
RWBY Squadron
When the door shut the first thing that greeted the White and Black duo was the sight of Thamior passed out between Ruby and Yang. "Hey there Princess, Kitten." Yang said referring to Blake's heritage as a feline and phoenix-faunus as well as Weiss' somewhat aloof personality. They glared at Yang both hating the nicknames she had given them at the Academy.
"H-hey W-Weiss. S-so this was a little unexpected." Ruby stuttered from her seat, minus her cookie supply, which she had finished on the way from the hospital. While at Vale Fleet Academy she had developed a bit of a crush towards her white haired friend. Of course it was blindingly obvious to everyone who knew her.
That is except for Weiss. "I'll say, I wonder what is up with the secrecy for the Beacon?" Weiss mused.
Yang shrugged as she replied, "As long as we see some action and we can stick with dad I don't really care."
Blake smirked and looked out the window before replying. "Yang you know what your dad says about a tour. It's ninety percent boredom and ten percent action." Thamior shifted in his sleep most likely having a nightmare about a falcon-dropship.
"So what's the story with your uncle?" Weiss asked nodding towards the blue haired phoenix. They had met him once before during a Naval banquet at the Vale Fleet HQ.
Ruby held back laugh as she replied, "He has a fear of flying in falcon-dropships. The odd thing is that it only hits him if he is just using it for transport. If it's going into combat he's perfectly fine."
As Ruby's laughter took hold Yang took over smiling as well. "We had to drug him. Otherwise we would have had to fight to get him to come with us." Blake and Weiss shared a look of disbelief.
Weiss was thinking about the look she had seen in Martin's eyes when Dr. Fields placed her hand on his shoulder. She decided to ask the Ruby and Yang about it seeing as they knew him best. "Any idea what the look in Martin's eyes meant? I never noticed it when he was teaching."
Blake was interested as well. It wasn't everyday you got the chance to deploy with your former instructor. "Martin never really told us much about his career. Is there anything we need to know about him? " Blake asked.
Ruby and Yang quieted a bit and looked at each other. "Might as well they may learn about it soon enough anyway." Yang said. They spent the rest of the trip to the Vale Space Dock filling their wing mates in on some of past of the Ace of Vale.
Martin and Summer
Martin was deep in thought trying to figure out what Admiral Qrow's plans were. He was also trying to ignore the thoughts he was having of the woman sitting next him. Sure she had the same feelings about protocol as him, and from their first encounter he could tell she had a great personality. "Who are you kidding; Summer Fields is way out of your league."
Summer's voice pulled him from his daydreaming. "So Martin, I take it your daughters and brother are in the other van?" she asked.
Martin blinked clearing his thoughts. "Yes they are though my brother won't be coherent for at least another two hours."
Summer tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Martin blinked and thought, "God that look on her face is adorable." Then he replied. "We had to drug him in order to get him to deploy. He has a fear of falcon-dropships that only allows him to be on one if it's going into combat." He took the vial of sedatives from his pocket and passed them to Summer.
Her jaw almost hit the floor when she looked at the remaining fluids. The vial was almost empty. "Are you sure he isn't dead?!" She asked in disbelief.
Martin shrugged his shoulders. "That was only half the amount I normally have to give him." He pulled a second unused vial from his other pocket and passed it to her. "He has an amazing resistance to the stuff. In fact I'm surprised he's never gotten addicted to it."
Summer just shook her head as she said. "I hope you both sent some of your ashes to the Beacon so you can revive on board. If half the things I've read today are true I'll need to get a room set up just for you and Capt. Rose."
Martin chuckled before replying. "As a matter of fact we did. Ruby and Yang's ashes are there as well. I assume Blake and Weiss also sent theirs."
Summer nodded she would almost be regretting the assignment if it weren't for Martin's personality. "He hides that depression pretty well. I'll have to see if I can make him see that life still has plenty more he needs to see." she thought.
Wolf decided to join in on the conversation at that point. "If you had been with us when we retrieved Phantom your lab coat would not be as clean as it is now." The three new shipmates spent the rest of the ride to the Vale Spaceport chatting and generally just getting to know each. Wolf was silently plotting ways to get the two phoenix sitting in front of him to just outright say their feelings. They had only just met but Wolf could smell the pheromones those two were putting off.
Apparently love at first sight was actually a thing. Now he was stuck with two people who were trying to maintain a strictly business relationship. Though Martin was certainly attracted to Dr. Fields, he was going against his aversion to protocol and trying to keep it strictly business. That needed to change fast if his blonde haired friend was going to change for the better. Wolf could tell with Summer it would be a lot easier. Her scent was more of genuine interest rather than outright attraction. Attraction was only a step above interest and after attraction was…well if it got to that point then good for them. Wolf planned to talk to Ruby and Yang the first chance he had to see about getting the two of them together when he had the chance. If they succeeded then Martin and Summer would be able to spend the tour of duty enjoying each others company.
"Guess all semblance of protocol has already been jettisoned. The tour hasn't even started yet," he grumbled. Martin and Summer just looked at him. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about some things." He answered the questioning look.
Vale Space Dock
"Ok everybody out." Martin said as he went to the aviation official to make sure their falcon was cleared for takeoff. As Yang and Ruby stepped out they snapped a salute to Summer more from habit than protocol. They had heard what she had told Martin about her dislike of it. Summer smiled lightly and returned the salute. She had read their files as well as Martin's. Ruby Rose graduated top of her class at the rank of 1st Lt. and had shown to be as good a pilot as her father. Yang Xiao Long Rose graduated fourth of her class at the rank of 2nd Lt. almost as capable a pilot as her sister. A shout from Martin who was over at the aviation desk interrupted her thoughts. "What do you mean our falcon is not air worthy?!"
1st Lt. - First Lieutenant
2nd Lt. - Second Lieutenant
Capt. – Captain
CO – Commanding Officer
PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
SgtMaj. – Sergeant Major
Sgt. – Sergeant
HQ – Head Quarters
VKS – Vale Kingdom Ship
HMCM. – Master Chief Hospital Corpsman
MKS – Mistral Kingdom Ship