Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.
Pressure was the one thing the girls grew up with back on Remnant, with the threat of the Creatures of Grimm lurking on the planet, but nothing could compare them with the intensity of both the Var Controlled N.U.N.S. and the Aerial Knights of Windermere. Having been no stranger to intensity, Yang continued to fulfill her role as a pilot of the Delta Platoon's Secondary Division under her sister's command. She just only wished that the calls to action would ease up a little.
After going through yet another encounter with the Var Syndrome and the Windermereans, she, along with the rest of Team RWBY, all stood next to Ruby's VF-31 as they try to come up with a plan. Blake had already taken the role of the team's Messer of the division, along with adding her own input on how to improve their skills. She mentally sighed as she was scolded by both her and Messer himself for doing more punching than firing the Valkyrie's gun pods on her own fighter.
As she looked up at the cockpit, she can already tell that Ruby had matured more after the day she sang out in the skies of Ragna, and she couldn't help but notice an increase in skill against the Var. She then looked over to Weiss to see her brushing her hair, noticing how she has gotten the attention of two Aerial Knights identified as Theo and Xao Justilla. Finally, she looked at Blake, who has been working on a flight strategy in case she and Messer went up against the White Knight.
Tilting her head over, she had noticed that Chuck, Hayate and Mirage stood in attention in front of Messer, who is also looking into a plan to best the White Knight. Judging by the way they were standing, she can already tell that he was going to point out the flaws of their flight patterns. Her hunch was right on the money as Messer took a look at the three standing before him.
"Second Lt. Chuck," He addressed the Ragnan of the three. "Remember that activating the scissors results in a loss of power."
"Aye, sir," Chuck said as he closed his eyes, allowing the Grim Reaper to continue with Mirage.
"Second Lt. Mirage, you're neglecting your right side. You'd be dead if not for Commander Arad covering you."
"Yes, sir," she acknowledged as Messer looked at Hayate, lowering his datapad.
"That is all." Messer then turned around and left them. "Dismissed."
"Now hold on a second," Hayate shouted out, stopping Messer in his tracks. "What's the point in calling me over? You haven't said a thing about my movements."
"Why waste my time. You're not even worth talking to." His statement angered the young man slightly until he turned around. "But since you asked, let me tell you something. Don't hesitate in battle. If you get the chance, take the enemy down. In the past few encounters, you have only aimed for the wings." He then glances over to Mirage. "The same goes for you, Second Lt."
She took one step back in surprise before standing in attention, speaking her mind to him. "The Aerial Knights are one thing, but the N.U.N.S. pilots were merely under mind control."
"The commander, Chuck and Ruby also aim for the wings when fighting N.U.N.S.," Hayate added in, only to be shot down by the Grim Reaper.
"That's because they have the necessary skills to do that, and Third Lt. Ruby has been improving her flight patterns in each encounter." He then turned around again. "You two do not. Keep this up, and you will die."
"Sir," Mirage called out again. "Can you elaborate further on my mistakes?"
"Your controls are precise," he says as he turned to face her again. "Any mistakes I could point out would be nitpicking."
"Then again…"
"That is also your weakness. You flew by the book, meaning your motions are obvious. Against seasoned pilots, like the Skull platoons of both the First Space War and the Vajra War, or the White Rose Valkyrie, you wouldn't last a minute." He then saw her look down before continuing. "Sgt. Hayate might be lacking in multiple aspects, but his movement is often unpredictable." He turned his back on the small group for the final time. "As ludicrous as the Immelmann dance is, it does demonstrate a good sense of piloting. Not that it would keep you alive for long."
He then made his way out of the armory, leaving the three behind as Hayate began to mutter under his breath. The girls only giggled at the sight of the young man getting more angered by Messer's attitude, only to stop immediately as Blake glared at them. They all decided to mind their own business as the faunas made her exit, intent on following Messer.
"Is it just me, or has Blake been spending more time with Messer," Weiss asked the two sisters, who Ruby could only shrug before going back to working on her flight patterns. The white haired girl looked over to see the blonde looking at the disappearing form of her teammate with distant eyes, sighing over what was going on. She then nudged her a little, getting her out of her stupor before addressing her.
"Come on," she told Yang. "Let's go rest up."
Yang only nodded in agreement as her teammate took her away from Ruby's fighter, allowing the young girl to keep on working on her strategy against the Windermerean forces. Weiss looked back at the black and red colored fighter before sighing, mentally smiling that the small reaper was back to her normal self. She then left the hanger with Yang in tow, catching Mirage and Hayate at the same time before leaving altogether.
"Planets Listania, Airberl, and now Anthem III. Windermere has already annexed a total of three planets in the cluster."
In the Macross Elysion's briefing room, Ernest, Arad and Kaname have gathered themselves to address the increase in Windermere activity in the Brisingr globular cluster. Both humans had worried expressions as to what the independent planet is up to, while the Zentradi smirked in response to what his Windermerean rival, Gramia Nehrich Windermere, would come up with. They all looked at the hologram of the cluster, with the planets the captain highlighted in violet to show Windermere's control of the region.
"They won all of their battles so far," Arad commented as he looked at it. "Most of the N.U.N.S. forces not under the influence of the Var were either put down, or surrendered to keep their lives."
"Oh please," the Zentradi spoke up as he smirked physically. "Turning the tide around is where the game gets fun."
"Commander Arad," Kaname addressed the elder human. "Can we expect any reinforcements from central Spacy?"
"I wouldn't bet on it," he told her. "They probably think this is some minor conflict between frontier worlds. Not to mention, they have their own stuff to worry about. Politics are tough."
"I see." She then handed over her datapad to the two males. "Also, I found something interesting with Ruby."
"Oh," Ernest spoke up in curiosity. "And what would that be?"
"If you take a look, please." She then shifted the projection to that of Ruby's face, along with the bio-fold receptor readings. "Our youngest pilot here emitted powerful bio-fold readings some time ago, when she had permission from Messer to fly out in the skies. I looked into it when I heard her sing one of our songs, particularly the one given to us by the White Rose."
"How powerful are these readings," Arad asked her, shocked over the news.
"Very powerful. I began to suspect that they may be more powerful than Mikumo's. However…"
"She made her choice to stay a pilot," Ernest concluded, looking over the readings while thinking. "However, there will be a time when we'll need her to sing. It's just not the time right now."
"I agree," Arad followed up, taking a bite out of his crispy jellyfish. "And right now, we need all the pilots we can get, and thankfully, she's showing a lot of improvement over the encounters. It makes me suspect that maybe a family member before her was an experienced pilot."
"Right," Kaname nodded, looking down. "But we don't know Who that person is."
"For now, let's focus on Windermere's advances," the Zentradi spoke up, looking at Kaname. "You go break the news to the girls. They need to know without Ruby knowing."
"Sir," she saluted to the two of them before leaving them behind, gathering her thoughts on how to tell Weiss, Blake and Yang about Ruby's bio-fold readings. She would expect the blonde to not believe it, saying that it was impossible. However, like the three girls, Kaname heard the young girl sing GIRAFFE BLUES on that day, shaking her head over how crazy everything has become.
Shaking her thoughts aside, she made her way over to Walkure's locker room, intent on changing out of her uniform and into her casual wear. Entering it, she stripped down out of her outfit, putting on her light brown jeans and a light tan sleeveless sweater. Grabbing her fedora, she looked and fixed up her hair with a mirror before grabbing a bag of Barrette jellycatfish and closing the locker. She sighed one more time before walking out, catching a glimpse of both Arad and Messer, listening on them.
"So I heard you gave our pilots the Spartan treatment," Arad told him as they entered their locker room.
"It's because I want them to stay alive," he told the old man.
"Just try to go easy on them. Don't break them in the process." The two men then walked out of the locker room in their casual wear, while Kaname continued to listen. "What about you, though? Are you feeling alright?"
"No problems at all."
"That's good to hear. Remember to take it easy sometimes."
"I know."
Kaname, breathing in and out, decided to walk out from behind them, still carrying the bag of treats in her hands. Running up from behind them, she easily caught up to the two males before catching her breath. She then coughed out to get their attention, smiling as Messer looked at her.
"Hey there guys," she greeted them before looking at the commander. "Look at what I've got—"
"AHH, Barrette jellycatfish," Arad shouted out in joy, grabbing the bag and getting a laugh from her.
"Wanna try some at a later time?"
"Sounds great."
"You too, Messer," Kaname addressed the Mohawk-styled man.
"I need to prepare for tomorrow," he told her before turning his back, leaving her behind with Arad.
"Come on, Man," Arad called out. "It's jellycatfish. It's the best kind." He then sighed before looking at Kaname. "Sorry about him. He's always so unsociable."
"It's fine," she told him with a smile before glancing over, going wide eyed that Blake caught up to him and left by his side, looking down. She never expected her to be with Messer, but believed that Blake had something that she didn't. Her heart broke somewhat over the interaction going on between them before shaking her head, smiling at Arad. "Shall we, then?"
While the situation at the Elysion was calm over the War situation, the same could never be said for Ragnyannyan. Thousands of people came in and ordered at the Chinese/Ragnan family restaurant, making the night the busiest for Chuck's business. Even with the added help from Yang and Weiss, the Mustang siblings continued to slightly struggle as more people came in to eat at the restaurant.
Marianne cursed under her breath as she stood in the center of the restaurant by the pillar, taking most of the orders from the people already sitting down on the tables. It didn't help much to her that both Zack and Hack informed her that even more people showed up to order from the restaurant. While she groaned that she has to deal with them, she mentally cursed at her older brother Chuck, who was upstairs with Hayate, Freyja, Ruby, Makina and Reina.
"Sis," she turned around to see Hack. "We have another group waiting for their food."
"OK," she told him before clenching her fist. "Damn you, Chuck. Leave me with all the work while you laze around."
The Ragnan in question sneezed loudly as he mentally heard Marianne curse him out, shivering at the unexpected chill. Like she had predicted, he had a layer of empty alcohol cans all over him and Hayate as they sat on the floor, with Makina and Reina taking the hammock and Ruby sitting on the edge of the Ragnan's bed. They all took the time to relax while the others in the restaurant have to deal with the late night dinner rush.
"Dude, screw Messer," they heard Hayate mutter out in anger, drinking out of a can heavily. "Who the hell does he think he is?"
"Before, he wouldn't even scold us," Chuck told him, speech slurred thanks to the alcohol. "When we screwed up in any way, he'd just give you that look of his."
"I know what you mean," Ruby added in, drinking out of a glass of milk. "Even Blake has started to act like him when she starts scolding us. I swear, it's like Weiss and Blake switched positions in my team."
"Thinking about it sends shivers down my spine," they heard Reina speak out.
"Though, I think I would rather have Weiss scold me. Blake's eyes, added with Messer's way of thinking, are asking for hell."
"Yeah, It does…" they heard Freyja whisper at the corner, huddled alone. "Messer told me that I was good for nothing with that face of his…"
"Poor thing," Makina pointed out, followed by her green haired friend.
"Word."
"By the way…" the mechanic looked at the pilots. "Where's Miramira?"
"She stayed behind to practice," Chuck told them, giving Ruby the image of Mirage in the simulation room. "It's no surprise, given the way she got told off."
"Weiss would have been in the same situation," Ruby piped up. "Too bad Yang dragged her over here to help with the restaurant."
"Well, with the war in the way, people would want to relax as much as they can," Makina told her. "And this isn't the first time a Nyannyan restaurant got so busy in a war."
"First Space War, Protodeviln war, Vajra war…" Reina listed off.
"And now the war against Windermere," Chuck finished for her. "I mean don't get me wrong, I like the busyness going on right now, but I kinda wished it wasn't during a war."
"Mikumo's such a slave driver…" Freyja said out of the blue, getting everyone's attention as she stood up, smiling. "But she looks so cool on stage, with her long hair floating behind her."
"The way Messer flies is also impressive," Hayate spoke up, sounding admired. "A lone dart piercing the blue sky. A straight, sharp line."
"He's not called the Grim Reaper for nothing," Chuck said with a smile. "judging by pure mechanics, he may even have the commander beat."
"He's good to his Siegfried, too," Makina added in, eating her donut.
"Huh?"
"Hayahaya's such a mess." She elaborated further. "You sortie once, and she comes back more trashed than a girl after an all-nighter."
"A complete wreck," Reina commented while Ruby kept picturing the many times Hayate's Valkyrie came back either battered or missing a vital part. The Randor situation left him with a destroyed right arm and a damaged left. The other sorties ranged from a jettisoned weapon, a damaged battroid head, or an emptied fuel gauge. Though, she pictured the Valkyries as girls when Makina explained it, shivering over the thought.
"But Mesamesa's Sieggy is like a girl who's had her beauty sleep, skin as beautiful as a newborn," Makina continued, forcing Ruby's imagery to Messer's VF-31. She knew that it has always come back without a scratch, even after the recent skirmishes against the White Knight. Again, the thought of the Valkyries as girls made her shiver thanks to Makina.
"Uh-huh," she heard Chuck mutter out as the picture was in his head, obviously due to him being drunk.
"Plus, his piloting puts minimal stress on the machine," Makina added in, shocking the Ragnan while Hayate stood up, walking out to the balcony with Freyja. Ruby's gaze was kept on them as they took in the cold breeze and cooled their heads, wondering about what they're going through. Her gaze was joined by the others as both of them breathed out.
"The way he flies gets to me," the male of the duo started.
"I know," Freyja spoke up. "I end up looking at her even when I'm dancing next to her."
"It's driving me crazy, but you know…"
"Yeah. I'm not going to lose."
"Tomorrow's training…"
"I'll show her!"
"Are you both serious," Ruby questioned the two of them, baffled by their attitudes.
"Makes you think they were separated at birth," Reina commented, making Ruby laugh as the two looked back at them. To her, the way they acted was too similar to that of Nora back on Remnant; only they are not as crazy as the hammer wielding girl back home. She made a mental note to call her friends and see what they were up to after the war against Windermere is over.
As the group continued to converse a bit more as the hours passed, the amount of people leaving the restaurant told her that the busy hours have ended, allowing Yang and the Mustang family to finally relax after a hard day of keeping up with orders. Chuck thought it was time to quit drinking for the night and go help out his family, joined by Hayate to help even out the male/female ratio in the cleanup category. Ruby had no problem leaving them to help Yang out in the building as she left with Makina and Reina, sorting out her ideas.
"Ruru," she looked over to see Makina smiling. "We have some really good news. Our little 'project' is ready for the next encounter."
"Really," she asked, shocked and excited at the same time. "Thanks, Makimaki. I knew I could count on you."
"Of course you would. You're talking to the genius of the VF-31 Siegfrieds, so anything needed for them are in my arsenal."
"Nice." She then thought for a moment. "What about the other parts?"
"Project 'YELLOW' is closer to completion, though Yang keeps roughing up her Valkyrie for us to implement it. Project 'BLACK' is almost done. It just needs a few test simulations before we can issue it for Blake. As for Project 'White…'" Makina paused to look at Reina and Ruby. "…it just started on the testing stages right now. As soon as those are complete, they'll be ready for your team's Valkyries."
"The Aerial Knights wouldn't expect them," the hacker added in. "I can already imagine their faces."
The young girl of the group couldn't help but smile over what Reina said, already picturing an encounter with the Aerial Knights in their Draken III's. The image depicted the SV-262s barely dodging a Valkyrie sized sniper scythe based on her Crescent Rose, making her giggle in the slightest. She kept it up as they reached the dorm building, calming down as she separated from the two Walkure singers.
Entering her shared room, she breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down on the bed, still thinking about the project she worked with Makina behind her team's backs. Shaking her head and knowing they'll trust her, she went and grabbed a pair of pajamas waiting for her, changing out of her clothing and into her sleepwear. Yawning, she walked back to her own bed, laying down in it to let sleep take over her.
Dreams then entered her mind as her eyes closed, showing her the memories of when she was back home. She smiled over the memory of when her team one the 'food fight massacre' against JNPR, shedding a tear due to Pyrrha being present there. Her memories then shifted to when she was a little girl, running happily to a white cloaked woman and embracing her in a hug, telling her that she loved her. She was abruptly awoken as the dorm room slightly opened, glancing over to see Makina in her pajamas.
"Ruru," she said in a tired voice. "You mind if I sleep with you? Reina won't let me rest with her tech lighting up the room."
She only nodded to her, falling back to the bed's embrace as the pink haired girl slipped into the blankets, hugging her from behind as she slept. She felt warmth coming from the singer as her slumber slowly came to her, smiling as it reminds her of when Yang doing the same thing Makina was doing. Eventually, her mind drifted off with Makina's as the two fell into a deep slumber, while unknown to them, Weiss stood at the doorway, looking down as she blushed.
Ionedeth, one of the many desert planets residing in the Globular cluster, had nothing going on other than the usual business runnings between corporations. The N.U.N.S. garrison forces stationed in orbit around the planet, consisting of assault carriers and a large army of VF-171 Nightmares, all waited in anticipation for an encounter with Windermere and the Var Syndrome, claiming it's to avenge their fallen comrades and those under Windermerean control. None of them would have anticipated that it would have come to them a lot sooner.
At first, everything was going according to schedule as some of the pilots and crewmembers suddenly announced that they heard a song. The others only played it off as some sort of joke until the ones that spoke about it started to react. The next thing they knew, their very own comrades have begun to attack their own, making the N.U.N.S. forces realized that they are now under Var control.
Minutes have then turned into hours, as most of the N.U.N.S. fleets have been roughly decimated by their own forces. Pilots that have not been affected by the Var continued to struggle as they were forced to fight their own men and women, people who swore to defend the colonies with their lives. Such a battle has left those that remained in constant panic as their numbers were rapidly decreasing. Once such pilot had to switch over into Gerwalk mode and gunned down the VF-171 chasing him, killing a former ally as he tried to regain his breath.
"We lost contact with squadron 78 as well," he heard his fellow pilot speak out on the comms, seeing his face on display. "They must've fallen under mind control—"
The young pilot never finished his statement as his Valkyrie was destroyed by the Var N.U.N.S., leaving the senior in shock as he spoke up. "Why… Why do we have to fight and kill our comrades?" His alarms then came on as he looked up in the astral horizon, seeing the sight of the SV-262 Draken IIIs flying in. "Those… Those are the Aerial Knights."
Keith, smirking as his forces had arrived in the battle between the Var Infected and the remaining N.U.N.S. forces, had his group move and engage the pilots fighting back. He waited for the moment when his two chosen rivals would appear, since they were the only ones capable of matching his wind. Until they arrived, he'll have to settle with the N.U.N.S. pilots free from the Var control.
The senior pilot sent a relay to call over any VF-171s unaffected by the mind control, shocked to see that only a small division had survived the initial onslaught. Looking over and adding himself, only six Nightmares were the only ones currently free from the Var Syndrome shaking his head as the Var N.U.N.S. got closer to his forces along with two Drakens without the Aerial Knights' color scheme. He could only make a silent prayer, hoping some form of salvation would come to save him and the remaining N.U.N.S. pilots.
As if his prayers were heard, reactive bullets came downward, impacting the Var controlled VF-171s and scattering the Windermerean planes away from the N.U.N.S. survivors. Hearing it, he opened his eyes to see the White Rose fly and save them, directing the enemy away from them. He mentally thanked the pilot as she led them farther into the asteroid fields, gunning down the Var Infected and avoiding the Drakens' barrage of bullets.
"To all surviving N.U.N.S. forces in Ionedeth," he heard the voice of a young woman in the comms. "Evacuate the area immediately. I'll keep the Var and the Windermereans at bay."
"Wha…" He only whispered as he was one of the only ones who heard the White Rose, looking out to see the battle continuing. The VF-25 she piloted continued to dodge the bullets coming from the Var Infected, firing the gun pod to take out some of her pursuers. She then took notice of the missiles launched from the SV-262s pursuing her, only to lock on to them and shooting the explosives down.
Shifting over into Battroid mode, she began to target any incoming Var controlled VF-171s flying towards her, only to grunt as one of the Drakens managed to shoot down her own weapon. Smirking, she flew over towards one of the Nightmares, waiting for it to shift into Battroid before kicking it away, grabbing its rifle before shooting down the Windermerean fighter, destroying the machine. Looking back, she saw the surviving N.U.N.S. forces fly off to safety before looking back to the battle, shifting back to fighter mode and began to fight her battle.
Watching from afar, Keith was shocked as to how a lone human Valkyrie, a model unlike the VF-171s or his rivals VF-31 Siegfrieds, managed to best not only the Var N.U.N.S. forces, but his fellow knights of Windermere. Looking at the way it flies, he can't help but be amazed as the wind went into its favor against his forces. In a way, it reminded him of both the Grim Reaper and the Belladonna fighters, the only Valkyries capable of competing with his wind.
Destroying another VF-171 controlled by the Var, the White Rose immediately picked up a fold signature coming far from the battle, looking over the horizon. Going wide eyed, she caught the glimpse of a fold gate opening, taking in the sight of the Aether coming out of it, knowing that Ruby and the Delta Platoon had shown up to quell the Var their way. Smiling, she continued her battle as the fold gate behind the aircraft carrier closed.
"Var Syndrome detected in the orbit of Ionedeth," The voice of Ernest echoed in the halls of the aircraft carrier as the pilots scrambled to their Valkyries, with Ruby rushing over to her Siegfried fighter and entering its cockpit. She heard the hectic voices of the mechanics as she worked on getting her Valkyrie primed for the battle ahead of her, looking over to see a small pair of glasses for her. Knowing it as Makina's work, she grabbed the pair before putting it on, seeing her team doing the same thing.
"Third Lt.," she looked over to see Guy shouting out to her. "Project 'RED' is primed and ready for use, just for you."
"Everything set to go," she asked him, getting a nod in return as he smiled.
"Show those Windermerean bastards a true Reaper, Rose."
"You got it." She then high fived the man before the cockpit closed, hearing the mechanics as they begin to install a large, compact box on top of her fighter. Knowing it as Project 'RED,' a project she started with Makina before Blake's test against Yang that occurred months before. Seeing the glasses light up in her eyes, she was able to see the full schematics and workings of the new addition, grasping the controls of her VF-31 while looking at the others.
"Protection units attached."
"MMP booster packs installed."
"As of right now," They heard the Zentradi captain speak through the intercoms. "Almost 70% of the N.U.N.S. pilots have already fallen under mind control, and we also have a guest appearance by the Aerial Knights. Those that survived owed their lives to the White Rose Valkyrie who, even now, is engaging the Var and Windermerean Forces." He then went over the plans as the Delta Platoon Valkyries moved outside. "Both Alpha and Beta Platoons are to defend point Charlie. The Delta Platoon will head for point Echo."
"All Delta Platoon units on launch catapults"
"Deltas 5 to 9," Arad called out to Hayate and Team RWBY. "This is your first space battle. A dogfight out here is a different beast. Also, pay attention not to run out of propellant."
"Roger," Hayate acknowledged, looking over to see Mirage. "Let's do this, Mirage. Show the Grim Reaper what we're made of."
She nodded to him, looking forward in front of her. "You can count on me."
As all nine Valkyries of the Delta Platoon waited for the go signal, the Aether opened another port behind them, revealing a domed stage with the five singers of Walkure present. Dozens of explosions rocked the battlefield in front of them as the battle between the Aerial Knights and the remainder of the N.U.N.S. forces, making the girls smile as they let out their catchphrases. They all ended as they announced to the Var to listen to them, adding along with who they were.
As Walkure finished their anouncement, all nine Valkyries of the Delta Platoon launched as the familiar song Walkure Attack began to play. Both Ruby and Weiss were at awe as to how they recognized the song, remembering it as the song that quelled the Var back on Mistral. Nodding with each other, they both continued to fly towards the scene of the battle, where the Var controlled N.U.N.S. forces and the Windermerean Aerial Knights waited for them.
"Delta Platoon, Engage," Arad commanded them as the Valkyries launched their Cygnus drones, emitting holograms of the singers on the asteroids. The VF-171s, under the control of the Var, stopped and turned around to view them, wondering how a song is transmitting to them. With them distracted, The VF-31 fighters took the initiative and opened fire, dismantling the N.U.N.S. planes of their weapons.
"Got you," Chuck shouted as his Valkyrie sprouted arms before gunning down a distracted Var Nightmare, taking out its leg and gun pod. "Alright."
He left his guard down as another VF-171 opened fire on him, forcing his Valkyrie to complete the Gerwalk mode transformation before flying off, with the opposing plane following him. Arad, floating upwards before shifting into Battroid mode, gave chase to the two fighters, grabbing two kukris into its hands as it glowed a bright green. As he made it, he immediately cut off the VF-171's legs and rifle, looking back to avoid reactive bullets and opened fire upon another Var infected fighter. The bullets impacted the Valkyrie's body, severing the left leg off and destroying its weapon.
"Windermereans incoming from above," he heard his subordinate, looking up to see six bright lights flying downwards, knowing the Aerial Knights were after them.
"Here they come," He commented on them.
"And with him," Blake spoke up as she destroyed an opposing VF-171.
"The White Knight," Messer added in, seeing the familiar sight of the gold trimmed SV-262 Draken III approaching.
"Belladonna," Keith smirked as he saw his rivals, closing in on them. "And the Grim Reaper."
Ruby, taking notice of a large asteroid coming up in front of her, smirked as she shifted her Siegfried into Gerwalk Mode, grabbing the compact box on its back as it transformed into the familiar shape of a sniper rifle. Taking aim, she noticed most of the Var controlled Nightmares clustered together as they fired upon Yang's fighter. Licking her lips, she set her sights on the mech's gun pods and opened fire, satisfied as the bullet went through and destroyed most of the weapons.
Yang watched at awe as her little sister began to pick off any of the Var resistance, seeing the sniper rounds effectively taking out the wings and the rifles belonging to the Nightmares. She then got worried as a VF-171 got closer to Ruby without her knowing, but just as she was about to fly over, reactive bullets impacted the machine, destroying it. She looked slightly upwards to see the VF-25 in Gerwalk mode, covering Ruby and shocking her with the emblem.
"A white rose emblem… and it looks like Ruby's," Yang whispered to herself, before getting the attention of an Aerial Knight. Shifting over to Battroid, she got into a combat stance as it drew near, waiting for the right time to strike. As it got right in front of her, she took the chance and delivered a few well-placed punches on the Draken, removing the drones off of it before gunning them down, destroying them.
She then looked back and went wide eyed over her sister's teamwork with the White Rose, watching it launch missiles to put the Nightmares in a daze before Ruby closed in on it, separating the cockpit from the plane with a scythe. Realizing that it was what she worked on with Makina, she couldn't help but smirk over the possibility of her own fighter. Her thoughts were silenced as the Aerial Knight whose drones she took down opened fire on her Siegfried, forcing her to use the asteroids to keep him off.
Looking back at Ruby, she had noticed that the White Rose and her sister kept gunning down the Var Infected as they got closer to them. Shaking her head, she shifted over into Gerwalk mode and flew towards the two Valkyries, shifting back into Battroid mode in time to kick a VF-171 fighter away from Ruby. She sighed in relief as her sister was safe for the moment, only to tense up as the White Rose aimed at her.
"Wait, I'm not a Var In—" She never finished as bullets ran right passed her, making her see that the Aerial Knight that pursued her was taken out before the machine was destroyed. She then looked back to see the VF-25 nod to her, saying that she was safe for now. Sighing heavily, she watched as both VF-25 and VF-31 fighters shifted into Fighter mode, picking off any Var controlled machines in their way.
While Yang shifted over into Fighter mode to pick off her side of stragglers, Hayate had a struggle of his own. Not used to flying in outer space like his comrades, he struggled to strafe out of the way as a Var controlled VF-171 continued to fire upon him. His control of the Siegfried unfortunately caused him to scrape an asteroid with one of the boosters attached to the wing, making him lose control of the machine. As his Valkyrie drifted slightly afterwards, he didn't notice the Var N.U.N.S. fighter close in on him with its rifle primed.
"DELTA 5," Mirage shouted out, causing Hayate to snap out of his stupor before shifting into Battroid mode, avoiding the Nightmare's rounds before grabbing hold of it by the back. It then began to strangle out of the young man's grip, only for the head mounted cannon on the VF-31 to open fire, destroying the N.U.N.S. mech's head as Mirage flew in and sliced the rifle out of it. The gun then detonated as the VF-171 drifted off, devoid of offensive power as the two pilots gave each other a thumbs up before looking up, seeing the sight of two VF-31s fighting one SV-262.
"Blake, Messer…" Hayate started as he saw them. "…and the White Knight?"
Far from Hayate's sight, only visible to him as a trio of bright lights, Both Messer and Blake continued their barrage of attacks on the SV-262 Keith was piloting. The Windermerean could only smirk as the two pilots fighting him kept up with his wind once again, even using the asteroids to their strategies. His rune began to glow brightly as he began his chase on both the Grim Reaper and Belladonna Valkyries, 'jumping' from asteroid to asteroid.
"It's time to ride the wind," He spoke to himself as he gave chase to Messer and Blake.
"Incredible," Hayate commented as he saw the battle between them. "They're using the asteroids to jump around… ALRIGHT!"
The young man then moved his Valkyrie towards the conflict between the two VF-31s against the White Knight, only to struggle again as he dodged the asteroids in Battroid mode. He didn't anticipate that the gravity in the field would be strong against him as he narrowly avoided another floating rock, noticing that the lights he was following was too far from him to catch up. He could only groan as the three faraway Valkyries continued their battle, narrowing his eyes as his own Siegfried shook in the asteroid field's gravity hold.
"I can't keep up," he muttered to himself.
"Delta 05, bogeys on your six, from above," He heard Mirage as he looked back, seeing two Drakens firing upon him before switching into Gerwalk mode and avoiding their fire.
"He dodged them," One of the pilots, Theo, spoke up as his twin finished for him.
"Impossible!"
Keeping an eye on his backside, Hayate was glad that the Twins gave up their chase on him for a while until he heard his alarms going off. Looking at the cause, he was shocked as his fighter was on a collision course with an asteroid, projecting a visual of a singing Freyja. Out of instinct, he shifted his Valkyrie back into Battroid before skidding on the rock, leaping off as reactive rounds missed their mark, twisting its body as Theo and Xao's fighters flew by.
"He's dancing…"
"With the Wind?"
His handling with the VF-31 allowed him to distract the twins long enough for Weiss to open fire on them, forcing them to abandon their target and focus on avoiding the ice queen's hail of rounds. He mentally thanked her as he jumped off from one asteroid to another, painting a nearby Var controlled VF-171 a target. Reaching it, he managed to kick the fighter's weapon out of its hand along with separating a leg and pushing it towards the floating rock. Mirage watched in awe as the young man showed off what he could do, only to be saved by a sniper round colliding with another Draken that was behind him, making them look at Ruby's Valkyrie giving off a salute with the White Rose.
As the battle between the Delta Platoon, the Aerial Knights and the Var infected N.U.N.S. forces, the effects of Walkure's song began to take hold on the VF-171 pilots, holding their fire as they all heard the music. One by one, the symptoms of the Var Syndrome began to disappear as the pilots' sense of reasoning came back to them. One Aerial Knight, Bogue, became furious as to what was happening as his Draken flew passed the stationary Nightmares.
"This has gone on long enough," He spoke up with venom in his voice, addressing the twins. "Theo, Xao, we're finishing this."
Two screens showing the twins' face popped up beside him, with one speaking out with the other.
"Allow us to show them…"
"…The wrath of the true wind."
Theo and Xao, avoiding fire from Weiss' attacks, managed to shake her off after one of them shot down her Siegfried's wing, immobilizing her for a time as they flew off to join the red haired Windermerean. Joining together, they all flew into the direction of the Aether, where the singers of Walkure continued to perform to quell the Var Syndrome. They were immediately spotted by Chuck, who got passed by them after fighting off his share of the Var N.U.N.S. forces.
"Ah hell, they got passed us," He spoke up in shock, addressing the other Valkyrie divisions. "Alpha, Beta Platoons, you have enemy incoming."
"Roger that, Delta. We're on it," was what he heard as a contingent of VF-31 Siegfrieds of the two platoons opened fire upon the Windermereans, launching a barrage of missiles on the three SV-262s. Each of the armed explosives covered the area in front of the Chaos owned fighters, detonating near the Drakens in the hopes of them being taken out. The Aerial Knights, however, came out of the smoke caused by the rockets in Gerwalk mode, firing upon the Valkyries as one of them got closer.
Hayate, upon noticing the danger Walkure is in, began to fly in the direction of the Aether, joined by Ruby and the White Rose as both Alpha and Beta Platoons were wiped out by the Justilla twins. In the confusion, Bogue, grinning like a mad man, launched his own volley of missiles towards the tactical sound unit as the aircraft carrier opened fire. The girls grew fearful as the missiles approached them, with some of them shot down by cannon fire.
"The T-Point barrier," Kaname shouted out as the singers continued to perform the song, only for it to abruptly stop as the remaining missiles came out of the smoke and impacted the dome's barrier system. The girls were fortunate that the barrier system itself took the brunt of the damage, but it left the dome they were in slightly cracked. While regaining their bearings, Freyja managed to stand herself up before looking out, seeing the Draken shift into Battroid mode.
"I found you… TRAITOR," Bogue called out from the machine, aiming its rifle at her.
"T-traitor," she muttered out in shock as the SV-262 was about to fire, only to be kicked out of the way by Hayate. Bogue was shocked that the young man forced him away from his intended target, denying him the satisfaction of killing Walkure. Groaning, he shifted into Gerwalk mode and flew off with Hayate in tow.
"Theo, Xao," the redheaded Windermerean spoke out. "Deal with them."
The twins were just about to take his place in taking out the tactical sound unit, only for Ruby and the White Rose to fly in and opening fire with their gun pods, driving them away. Both VF-31 and VF-25 shifted into Gerwalk mode and kept their fire on the fleeing Drakens. The young reaper then saw Weiss' battered, but still operational Valkyrie give chase to them before looking to the side, seeing a red and gold SV-262 flying in towards them.
Shifting into Battroid mode, she opted to use the arm mounted rifles and opened fire at it, joined by the White Rose as the reactive rounds flew passed it. The pilot, a red headed woman, only looked out and spotted the two firing Valkyries, turning the fighter to face them. The reactive rounds didn't faze her enough as she got closer before firing her own salvo of bullets at the two roses, seeing them dodge her fire with ease as they shifted into Gerwalk mode as well. Strafing left and right as they both avoided each other's rounds, the pilot caught a glimpse of Ruby's emblem, going slightly wide eyed.
"That emblem…" she started, gripping her head before shaking it. "Why… why is it familiar?"
Shaking the thoughts aside, she continued her assault on the two roses as they continued to defend Walkure with their lives, leaving Mirage with the sight of them battling the Draken along with Hayate chasing Bogue. Seeing her fellow pilots continuing to fight against all odds with Windermere, She couldn't help but be amazed with how they're flying. Because of this, she wasn't paying attention to the two incoming Drakens coming from behind her Siegfried.
"Hayate… Ruby… The White Rose…" she started, getting serious. "I can't fall behi—"
An explosion grabbed her eye immediately as one of the booster packs attached to her wing took damage, forcing her to jettison it as it blew up. Facing her foes, she was shocked to face the Aerial Knight Herman as his SV-262 got closer with another to her fighter. She had already begun to move away from him as the two Windermerean fighters pursued her, with the Aerial Knight guiding the other machine.
"Leutnant Ghoula," the senior Windermerean spoke up to the other pilot. "You have yet to take down an enemy in combat, correct?"
"Hauptmann Herman," the now identified Ghoula said his name.
"I'll corner them for you. Shoot them down."
"Da!" The young pilot then looked forward at Mirage's fighter, runes glowing brightly. "May my rune guide me."
Both fighters continued to push Mirage's fighter as all three of them fired upon each other, with the Windermereans gaining more 'ground.' Groaning, the Jenius pilot sent out a distress signal to all the other members of the Delta Platoon, with Hayate and Ruby picking it up. Distracted, the young rose didn't count on her opponent opening fire on her, only to look back in shock as the White Rose took the hit for her. Reacting quickly, her Valkyrie grabbed hold of the VF-25 as the Draken responsible shifted over into Fighter mode, flying off as the young rose fired the fleeing machine.
Hayate, upon seeing the Delta 04 pilot in trouble, immediate began to fly over to help help as she struggled against the two Drakens. The one piloted by Herman immediately destroyed her laser cannon, earning a glare from Mirage as he signalled the young Ghoula to open fire. He immediately nodded before looking at the VF-31, sprouting the hidden weapons in his fighter's arms before firing a barrage of bullets at her.
"Damn, I'm too far away," Hayate commented as he saw his senior officer block the shots with the barrier system before alarms popped up, making him look at the console. "What… out of propellant?"
He then began to notice that the barrier system on Mirage's fighter was about to fail on her, focusing his sights on the Draken responsible for damaging her Valkyrie. Shouting out her name, he pressed the trigger down as his Siegfried opened fire on the SV-262 in front of hers. Herman, feeling his runes glowed as he looked to the side, watched as the bullets impacted the fighter he was overlooking. When he saw Ghoula pop out of the cockpit as the Draken took too much damage, he moved as fast as he could, only to fail as the machine exploded, killing him.
Hayate went wide eyed as he saw what he had done, as the Draken that reached out was forced to back off before shifting into Fighter mode, flying away as his VF-31 drifted till it reached Mirage. She couldn't help but feel bad for the young man as he had killed for the first time since the war started. Never in her life would she see the man that disables machines as he danced in the battlefield kill to save her life.
While she slowly reached and took hold of his fighter before flying off towards the Aether, the battle between Blake, Messer and the White Knight kept going in the asteroids. Keith, smirking as his foes' skills even matched his own in outer space, kept the pressure on the two Valkyries while avoiding their bullets. He kept up the motion until the screen popped up beside him, Displaying Lloyd's face as he continued his battle.
"Star Master to all Knights," the chancellor started, earning a glare from the blonde. "That will suffice. Return to the Branch."
"Not yet," the White Knight argued. "We'll annihilate them all."
"His Highness wishes for no unnecessary sacrifices. Do you intend on opposing his will?"
Annoyed with his choice in words, Keith immediately chose to pull out and follow the orders given to him, using the drones attached to his fighter to guide his plane upwards as he flew away. Both the Grim Reaper and the faunas looked up in surprise as their opponent made the notion to fly way, joined by the remaining Aerial Knights that survived the conflict. As the Windermereans disappeared into the horizon, both Siegfried pilots decided to fly back to the aircraft carrier, followed by the rest of the Delta Platoon with Ruby being the last, carrying the damaged VF-25 Messiah into the base.
Days after the Ionedeth incident, Yang, after hitting the gym built in the Elysion, thought it was a good idea to wonder around the Chaos base. She could already tell something has been building up between the members of both the Delta Platoon and Walkure, but most of her thoughts have drifted off to Blake. Sighing, she believed that she was with Messer again or at the Ragnyannyan restaurant fighting against the Mercat, smirking as she had the day off given from Chuck.
Reaching outside on top of the Aether, she was about to take a fresh air before glancing over, hiding away as she saw Mirage standing behind a thinking Hayate. Having a hunch, she believed that the Jenius was there to comfort the young man over what he did back on their assignment. Peeking just a bit, she could see the young man sitting over the edge, gathering his own thoughts.
"Thanks," she heard Mirage starting. "You saved me." A moment of silence was all she got before starting up again. "The first time I killed someone… was a year after I joined N.U.N.S. We were fighting rebels… who'd taken over an island class ship. I thought I was fully prepared, but I don't think I'll ever get over it. I just learned how to pretend it didn't affect me."
"Is that what Blake went through," Yang asked herself before continuing to listen in on the two.
"I'm sure… I'm sure everyone deals with the same issue. They just don't let it show. The commander… First Lt. Messer… Even Chuck too… Every kill is a new burden. I… I think it's our cross to bear as soldiers. And if carrying that burden means we protected someone's happiness… then I'd say it was worth the price."
"Thank you…" Hayate finally spoke up as he stood up, looking at her. "Instructor." He saw her look down, smiling before he continued. "I knew the time would come eventually. An you, the commander, and Chuck… even Messer, everyone's fighting with their live on the line. The girls of Walkure suppress the Var with their songs. At first I couldn't believe it, but they, too, are risking their lives for this." He then cracked his fingers before reaching up, slicking his hair a bit. "I won't back down."
Mirage could only smile, nodding as she spoke up. "Same here."
"What was that?"
"I didn't say anything."
The Blonde, smiling, could only nod over what they said, glad that they worked out their feelings. Walking back inside, she already saw Freyja doing the same thing she did, only with her hand over her chest. She could only sigh as she pictured a love triangle between the three of them. Shaking her thoughts, she made her way inside, leaving the young Windermerean to sort out her feelings.
Gazing over the interior of the Macross fortress, she could only smile as she remembered the events leading to RWBY being part of the Delta Platoon. She then remembered what Ruby did back in Ionedeth's orbit, wielding a Valkyrie sized Crescent Rose. Remembering that her own weapon, along with Weiss' and Blake's, were also being used for a design for their own VF-31 fighters, it made her believe that Ruby had planned this at the very start even before their first job on Al Shahal.
Her thoughts were immediately dashed as she saw the doors to the infirmary open up, revealing the pilot of the White Rose Valkyrie walking out. She went wide eyed as she caught the glimpse of her hair, being long black with red streaks at the tips. She then saw a brief sight of the woman's eyes being silver before she pulled out her shades, putting them on before covering her hair with the white hoodie underneath the S.M.S. jacket. She then shook her head as the woman made her way out, chasing her before grabbing her shoulder.
"Wait a minute," she started up, seeing the woman tense up. "That hair of yours… it looked to similar to Ruby's to be a coincidence. And those eyes of yours… You could easily pass as an older Ruby Rose right now. But you can't fool me, can you?" She saw the woman tilt her head, imagining her eyes being wide before continuing. "Tell me… Just who are you…?"
The woman was shocked to hear that Yang saw what she looked like, mentally breathing heavily over what to say. Thousands of scenarios played out in her mind as she saw the blonde's eyes flash red briefly, remembering her of a certain woman from her old team. Sighing, she turned her head back straight to gather the last of her bearings.
"You were always too good, you know that," she spoke up, shocking Yang as she glanced back again. "It's no surprise to know that you got your mom's keen eye. Nothing can ever get by you."
"Wait," the blonde stuttered, moving back. "You knew mom? Who are you?"
"That's a real good question, isn't it?" She then took off her hoodie before reaching out for her glasses. "Make me a promise, will you?" She saw the blonde going wide eyed. "Whatever happens here… can't be told to Ruby, is that clear?"
"What… Ruby?"
"Yeah…" She then took off her glasses before looking at her, silver meeting lilac. "But still… it's been a long time, Yang. Ten years too long…"
A/N: DUN DUN DUN… OK… I think I may have rushed that.
So it took slightly longer to work on a chapter than with chapter nine, but I'm happy with how it turned out. So, Yang has figured out the identity of the White Rose, but will she tell Ruby? Who knows? Also, I would like to say that the episode this chapter was based on, episode 6, happened to be my favorite as it featured my favorite song 'Walkure Attack." Also, I have decided to actually add in the Windermerean's comments in the battle, fleshing it out as they're the main antagonists. Anyways, everything came out right for me.
Review Replies:
XY Kid: Thanks again! Marcus and I, in truth, can't get along well but we share something that we both love FANFICS… and video games of course.
The new chapter may not be as cheery or action packed but still fun to read.
I think you really got Ruby's character there, and I believe that her behaviour in this chapter may come close to canon.
It's great that you two have things in common. And chapters don't always have to be action packed to be interesting, as some chapters can focus on the fluff between characters, seeing the relationships bloom on the way. And yeah, it's getting close to canon with Ruby's attitude, but she'll mature as the story goes.
Guest: I guess Messer has a soft spot for Ruby, and oh the White Rose flinging the mercat is damn hilarious.
As of that moment, the White Rose herself is the only one that managed to stop the mercat from stealing the tuna. Not even Chuck, his siblings, Yang or even Blake could manage that.
Wee-0wee-0: I think we had an idea who the White Rose is and involvement in this chapter is really good and really helpful to Ruby.
I wait for White Rose to reveal who she is to the gang.
As of right now, Yang has found out who she is, but the White Rose won't reveal who she is to Ruby just yet. And Yang has to keep the promise to her.
Yuiharime: Blake is concerned for Messer is really sweet, though I dread for the part where Messer's fate is sealed. Hopefully this fanfic changed that.
I really only wish one of the Walkure takes interest in Jaune once they meet him. Seriously, Jaune needed someone so he can move on from Pyrrha.
Eheheheheheheh… Sorry man, but his fate must remain the same. I'm just going to make it darker for the RWBY side as well. And as for Walkure… who would take interest in Jaune? That's what I want to know.
Marcus the Kane: Man, RWBY vol. 4 really took the dark terms, especially in chapter 2. It was heartwrenching.
The theme in this chapter is the same, only this time Ruby is alone without Jaune sharing the same feelings.
But at least the White Rose managed to snap her out of it, really cool.
Yeah, but I have a feeling that it's going to get darker as it goes on, drawing me in further as the show continues. And yeah, Ruby is practically alone for that moment, but thanks to the White Rose, she managed to get over it and made her decision to fight Windermere.
Tendaysromeo: A really nice chapter. No action, but the conversation is really important for the story.
While depressing, there are moments that enlightened the mood, such as Yang scaring the media and the White Rose beating the Mercat.
And one thing, S-S-She beat the MERCAT!
PLEASE, QUIT REMINDING ME OF THE 'S-S-S-SHOGUN KAYO.' You're right, as the conversations help develop the relationships between the characters. And Yang didn't just scare the media… She threw one of them out of the restaurant.
ElentiyaViStaadtfeldt: It's P****a, isn't it?
*bashes face on the table* YOU FIGURED IT OUT! Well, for one thing, yes it is her, but it isn't her as well. Basically, she is now serving the interests of the Kingdom of Windermere. And don't flip out on me since I censored the name. Can't have the others knowing it right now as to who the next White Knight will be… (though, I think it's kinda pointless now)
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and/or Review.
With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.