A/N: Just so you guys know, in case you haven't seen yet, the option that won the poll was to have Ruby promoted and give her a ship to command. If you'd like to see the final tally, the results are still up on my profile. For those of you who still want some fighter action though, don't worry, as there will still be some more to come before Ruby's promotion. I also should be able to find a way to work it in after her promotion, though it will be another person flying.
With that said, enjoy Chapter 7: A New Path!
Ruby stood outside the admiral's suite and let out a long sigh. Well, this is it, she thought as she tapped to door control to inform Admiral Qrow she was outside.
"Come in," he called.
Ruby walked into the room and saluted. "Sir, Lieutenant Commander Ruby Rose reporting as ordered."
"Drop the formalities, Ruby," Qrow replied, giving Ruby a light smile. "It's good to see you."
"Gladly," Ruby replied as she walked over and hugged her uncle.
"So, that was quite a stunt you pulled out there during the battle," Qrow said as they broke apart.
'Well, with all due respect, I knew I was going to make it," Ruby replied , her stance becoming slightly guarded. "I had the entire maneuver calculated and-"
"Relax, Ruby," Qrow interrupted with a small smile. "I've been an Admiral long enough to be able to recognize the difference between a suicidal move and a precise one. Yours was quite obviously the latter."
Ruby relaxed a little. "So, what do you need then?"
"Well, I actually had a question for you," Qrow replied. "As you may be aware, there is a new prototype ship being constructed at the shipyards in the Shadow of Light system."
"The R.F.S. Vale, first in the new Vale class of Dreadnoughts, correct?" Ruby asked, to which Qrow nodded. "And let me guess, you want me to serve as the ship's CAG?"
"Not exactly," Qrow replied, to which Ruby cocked her head slightly. "I want you to be the captain."
"You...You want me to be the captain of a capital ship?" Ruby asked.
Her uncle nodded. "Thus far in your career, you have not only demonstrated exceptional courage and skill, but also an unwavering concern for those under your command as well as a keen sense of the flow of battle. Those are all traits that I believe make for an excellent captain. So, the post is yours, if you want it."
Ruby stood there for a moment. "Are...Are you sure?"
Qrow laughed. "Ruby, you know me. Would I be asking you right now if I wasn't sure?"
Ruby scratched the back of her head nervously. "Yeah I guess you're right."
"So, what's your answer then?"
Ruby stood silently for a moment. Well, I don't want to leave Weiss here, she thought. I wonder...
"Sir, I'll take the post on one condition," Ruby said.
"Let me guess, " Qrow replied, a knowing smile on his face. "You want Lieutenant Weiss Schnee promoted to Commander and posted as the XO on the Vale."
"Umm...How did you know?"
"As I said, being an Admiral requires that I recognize things," Qrow replied. "First, I believe that you two are involved, correct?"
"That's not the only reason I want her," Ruby muttered.
"I understand. Just commenting. Anyways, the second item was that I was already considering her for the XO posting. You two make an excellent team, and I believe you would do well together commanding a ship."
"You're the best, Uncle Qrow," Ruby replied as she hugged him tightly.
"Easy there, Ruby," he replied with a laugh. "I still need to get Weiss in here so I can tell her about her new assignment before you kill me."
"Heh, sorry," Ruby said as she broke off. "Guess I'll head to my quarters then."
"Not so fast. I'd like you here for this," Admiral Qrow said as he walked over to the intercom. "Attention, Lieutenant Weiss Schnee, report to the Admiral's suite immediately."
After several minutes of waiting, the white-haired pilot walked through the doors and saluted. "Sir, Lieutenant Schnee, reporting as ordered." she said.
"At ease, Lieutenant Schnee," Qrow replied, and Weiss relaxed her stance slightly. "Lieutenant, I've received a request from the soon-to-be captain of the R.F.S. Vale that you serve as the ship's XO. The post is yours, if you want it."
Weiss stood there for a moment. ".You want me to be the XO of a warship?" she asked.
Qrow replied with a nod. "As I said, it was by special request of the captain."
"Before I answer, I'd like to know who the captain is."
"That would be me, actually," Ruby said from behind Weiss, causing her to jump a little.
"Ruby, are you trying to kill me?" Weiss practically shouted.
"Well, taking into consideration that I saved you from getting blown up a few weeks ago, I'd say no I'm not," Ruby replied with a grin.
Weiss rolled her eyes. "So, you're the captain?"
"Yep!" Ruby replied. "Well, actually, I'm not the captain yet but I will be."
"Speaking of that," Qrow said, "I'm going to wait to promote you until it comes time to commission the ship, so as to avoid a conflict of authority here on the Beacon."
"That sounds like a good plan," Ruby said, looking to Weiss , who nodded in response.
"Very well, you two are dismissed."
"Still can't believe I'm going to be a captain," Ruby said as she sat down across from Weiss at a table in the officer's mess.
"It's been a week already, Ruby. And, besides, you deserve it." Weiss replied.
"Thanks. And, don't forget, you totally deserve your promotion as well."
Weiss blushed lightly "Thank you, Ruby."
Both ate in silence for several minutes until the intercom blared.
"Lieutenant Schnee, Lieutenant Commander Rose, report to the senior staff briefing room immediately," Commander Goodwitch called.
Ruby sighed as she stood from her seat. "Guess that's us."
The pair walked silently through the halls, passing the occasional crew member as they walked. Finally, they arrived outside the briefing room. Giving each other a small nod, they approached the door, and it hissed open, revealing Captain Ozpin and Commander Goodwitch standing in front of a holographic display of an asteroid field.
Captain Ozpin turned around to face Ruby and Weiss. "Ah, good. You're here," he said calmly.
"What do you need, sir?" Ruby asked as she walked over to the display.
"I want you two on a long-range recon operation," Captain Ozpin said as he manipulated the display. "You will be here, in this asteroid field looking for a pirate base. You will be there for about two weeks."
"Why? We could just send in a recon frigate, find the base, and jump in with the Beacon to bomb it," Ruby said.
"Well, for one, the asteroid field is far too dense for even a frigate to fly through. Two, we don't want the pirates to be alerted to the fact that we know about this base, so we will be jumping in far from where the base is. As a result, you will need about two days of travel time to get there. Third, we believe the pirates have prisoners there, so when we actually launch our assault, we are going to send in a ground team to capture it."
"Sir, are you sure it's wise to be sending your two highest-ranked pilots for a mission like this?" Weiss asked.
"Normally, I would agree with you, Lieutenant," Ozpin replied. "Though, I believe this would give both of you an opprotunity to get used to working together on the same ship during duty hours. You will be taking the ship's R-71 Blackbird for the mission. Any questions?"
"When do we deploy?" Weiss asked.
"Tomorrow, so make sure to get a good night's sleep," Commander Goodwitch replied.
"Is there anything else?" Captain Ozpin asked. Both Weiss and Ruby shook their heads. "Very well then, you two are dismissed. Good luck."
"You ready for this Weiss?" Ruby asked as she climbed into the crew compartment of the sleek Blackbird and sat in the seat beside the one Weiss was already sitting in.
Weiss shrugged. "Not the first long-range recon mission I've done before."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "So, two weeks?"
"Yes," Weiss replied, giving a small nod as she did so.
"When do we start running low-emissions?"
"When we're about four hours out of our target area. When we arrive on site, we'll land on an asteroid, power down everything but basic life-support and sensors and start passively scanning for the pirate's base."
"Sounds like a plan," Ruby replied with a nod.
"Attention all hands, this is the captain," Ozpin called over the intercom. "Stand by for phase jump."
Ruby briefly felt the familiar sickness she always got whenever the ship jumped, wincing as she waited for it to stop. When it finally did, pulled her helmet over her head and gripped the Blackbird's flightstick.
"Bridge, this is Reaper," she called. " The Blackbird is ready for launch.
"Roger that, Reaper," Ozpin replied. "Good luck. See you in two weeks."
"I've been waiting for a week now. What took you so long, Ironwood?" the woman said.
"I apologize, ma'am," Commodore Ironwood replied. "I have been unable to report due to...beaurocratic issues that accompany the promotion I received a week ago."
"Hmmm...Indeed." Cinder muttered. "Any other excuses?"
"No, ma'am."
"Good. Now, would you mind explaining to me what happened at Forever Fall?"
Ironwood sighed. "I had no idea Lieutenant Commander Rose would attempt a stunt like that Realistically, she should have been killed by the flak fire."
"That doesn't change the fact that she wasn't," Cinder replied, looking distinctly bored. "As a result of your failure to prevent her from making that attack, we not only lost a battle-carrier, but two cruisers and a destroyer as well."
"With all due respect, I doubt I could have ordered any of my pilots to even attempt to stop her, as my CAG is her mother, and, even if she is on our side, which I doubt, Summer is very protective of Ruby. There is no way she would ever agree to fire on her own daughter."
Cinder rolled her eyes. "I don't suppose you have any good news to report to me?"
"I believe that I have gotten four more captains to commit their ships to us," Ironwood replied. "This puts us at about sixty percent of all Remnant Federation naval forces that will fight for us when the time comes. Furthermore, the Terran Imperium has pulled additional forces away from the Federation's border. Our chance to strike is coming soon."
"Good," Cinder said, still sounding bored. "Do not fail me again, Ironwood."
The screen went dark, and Ironwood sighed heavily. "Commander Black, please inform Lieutenant Commander Rose that I wish to speak with her."
"Yes, sir," Mercury replied.
After several minutes of waiting, Summer walked in. "You asked to see me, sir?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, I have a question for you," Ironwood replied. "Do you believe the Terran Imperium is still a threat?"
Summer stood there for a moment and thought. "No, I do not," she finally replied. "Not only have they continued to abide by the terms of our treaty with them, even better than us in some cases, but they have also been continually pulling ships away from our border."
"Well, we'll have to disagree on that."
"Yes, sir. Was there anything else?"
Ironwood sighed. "No, you're dismissed."
Summer saluted and left the room, leaving Ironwood to sit back in his chair. She might be a problem.
A/N: And here's chapter 7, now with more plot development! As always, thanks to all those who followed, favorited, and reviewed! You guys are totally awesome!
By the way, the Blackbird was named for the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the world record holder for the fastest plane ever flown, with a speed of mach 3.3 (3.3 times the speed of sound), as well as a sustained altitude record at 85,069 feet (25,929 meters). It flew so fast, that it had to be built almost entirely our of titanium due to the air resistance heating the plane to immense temperatures. Yeah.
Anyways, see you all when I post Chapter 17 of A Lone White Rose: Say You'll Stay! Until then!
