Right... so, I just kept adding on to this chapter. It went through about six different versions. I'm still not happy with it, but screw it. If I don't post it, it'll never get out. I'm also at the last of my collection of edited chapters, so from now on wording and grammar might be a little... clunky.
Anyways, I have to give props to a couple people. There are a couple weapon designs in the later half of this chapter that I appropriated. Not to say I stole them, I'm just borrowing without permission. But, to make up for this I've given them honorable mentions in the chapter itself. They're on Deviantart if you want to give them a look, they do fantastic work.
Also, this is the beginning of the 6000+ word chapters. This'll be the norm unless you guys want it otherwise.
Cheers.
LATER THAT EVENING
"So, we all know the plan?"
"Of course we do, Ruby. We've gone over it three times!"
"Hey, let Rubes talk. No commentary from the peanut gallery, Snow Angel."
"Wha- peanut gallery?!"
"You should all quiet down. The way you're going about it everyone on the floor is going to know what we're up to."
"But, Blake! Th-that's the point! It's so overt, it's covert…"
"…"
"Eh-heh heh, yeah, that was bad…"
Ruby sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, regretting the pun the moment it left her mouth. Standing inside their dorm room – though standing was a loose term – Ruby, Weiss and Yang huddled by the door, waiting for a certain someone to walk by. Blake watched them from her bed, an amused smirk on her face as she cradled a book in her hands. With a groan, Weiss let her head rest against the wall with a dull clunk.
"Why on Remnant are we doing this? This is ridiculous!" she complained.
"Weiss, you promised you'd at least try to give her a chance," Ruby said quietly, the tiniest of frowns on her face.
Weiss immediately crumbled. "I'm-! Ugh… Ruby, I said I'll try, but I can't promise anything. I just can't trust her."
Though the hurt never quite left her face, it lessened as Ruby nodded.
With a wide grin, Yang cooed, "Aw, you two are so cute! Blakey, don't you think these two are cute together?"
The blush was immediate on both Ruby's and Weiss' face. Though Ruby could do nothing but babble with a flaming red face, Weiss managed to stammer, "You-you depraved dunce! Does your debauchery know no bounds?"
"Nope!"
"Blake! Control your partner!"
"But where would the fun in that be?" Blake deadpanned, her eyes twinkling in mirth.
Weiss stood there for a long moment, only for her to bring a hand up to cradle her forehead. "I'm surrounded by fools…"
Heaving a massive sigh, Weiss turned to the folding table they had borrowed from Professor Goodwitch. Why a woman of such a standing as her had such a tacky item boggled her mind, though Weiss couldn't very well judge a professional Huntress who'd been saving the world since before she was born. On it was food for the person they were waiting for, with additions from each of them – a bowl of fruit from Weiss, tuna from Blake, a plate of cookies from Ruby, and some sort of creamy red drink that Yang concocted herself.
Weiss, for one, had no intention of letting anyone drink it, not when it smelled like it had enough booze to knock out a Goliath.
And the centerpiece, finishing the eclectic collection of food around it, was a large pepperoni pizza from the best pizzeria in Vale. Each of them had restrained themselves from grabbing a slice, though as the smell permeated throughout the room it was getting more and more difficult. All of this, from the food to the reason why they were waiting up in the first place, was because of Ruby and her desire to get Connie to open up to them. If it were up to Weiss, she would stay as far away from the Faunus as she could, not only because of her suicidal training but because of her behavior – she was duplicitous, showing a façade of calm and professionalism to the teachers, yet veiled scorn and disdain for most everyone else. She didn't understand it, and didn't want to understand it.
Yang, who had been the only one to really pay attention, shushed them all before they could start getting louder. "Guys, I hear her! Quick, get ready!"
True to form, Ruby tripped over Weiss' feet and Weiss over Ruby's, sending both of them tumbling to the floor. They scrambled to untangle themselves as Blake watched on with an eyebrow quirked in amusement before Weiss was able to take her place by Ruby's Bunk Bed of Doom, and Ruby straightened out her night shirt as she stood in front of the table, hiding it from view. Yang waited a moment, listening to the footsteps out in the halls before she flung the door open.
"Surpri – !" They all cried out, only to trail off as they only saw Jaune. He looked at them all in confusion, eyes wide and frozen mid-step. Worst of all was that he was dressed in his onesie, heading back from the bathroom and ready for bed.
"U-uh… hi?" he said nervously. "This uh, this wouldn't be about Weiss declaring her undying love for me, would it?"
"…No," Weiss spat.
Jaune sighed. "I suppose not, though- oh, wow…"
Much to all of their irritation, Jaune wandered into their dorm practically drooling. "Is... is that a Primavera Vale pizza I smell?"
Ruby nervously scratched the back of her head, not noticing her sister wave her hand in warning as she said uncertainly, "Um… yes?"
"GIMME!"
Jaune practically launched himself at her, eyes wide and desperate in his effort to get at the heavenly flatbread behind her. Yang had to grab him by the neck of his onesie and throw the crazed boy off her sister before Pyrrha heard the commotion from across the hall and came to get her teammate. She was lecturing Jaune even as she dragged him across the hall, and somehow, none of them envied the fate that awaited Jaune as his screams grew ever-fainter after Team JNPR's door slammed shut.
"Well…" Yang muttered as soon as the door slammed shut, "that was different." She shook her head as she vaulted up into her bed, paying no mind to how dangerously it swayed on its stilts of books.
"That was creepy," Ruby muttered, wringing her hands.
"That," Weiss said matter-of-factly, "is why he will never, ever, ever get a girlfriend."
"Did you expect anything less?" Blake remarked with a smirk before turning to the next page.
No one had a response.
Ruby moaned, rubbing the back of her head as she walked over to close the door. "Sorry guys. Reset, take your positions…"
Sighs rippled through the room, Ruby included, but just when she had almost shut the door something caught her eye in the hall. Namely, bright blue eyes and reddish-brown hair, topped with fox ears that twitched in curiosity.
"AH! Connie, where'd you come from?!" Ruby screeched, jumping back in shock. Connie jerked back at the sudden shout and fell against Team JNPR's door, her eyes wide with alarm and her hands tucked close to her chest, ready to fight.
The dorm room exploded into activity. Yang jumped from her bunk only for her foot to get caught on a blanket, making her trip and sprawl to the floor. At the same time Weiss looked between the door and the table of food in a panic before snatching the makeshift strawberry sunrise and tossing it out the open window, glass and all. With Ruby babbling unintelligibly Blake, calm amidst the chaos, rolled her eyes, closed her book with a snap and walked to the door, giving Connie a small smile as she said, "Hello again."
Connie, suspicious, looked between the babbling leader and Blake before she nodded, though she kept her defensive posture. "Hello," she said quietly. "Is… she alright?"
Ruby's mouth stopped spasming at being mentioned and suddenly shouted, "Pizza!"
At feeling four pairs of eyes staring her down, Ruby shrank into her hood. There was a growing blush on her face as she mumbled, "W-well… we'd like- er, I mean, if you'd like to come in, we have pizza…" She turned, showing Connie the table they had set up for her.
A slow frown marred Connie's features, and she looked between Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Blake before she demanded, "Why?"
Yang, having recovered from her spill to the floor, walked up behind her sister and asked, "What do you mean?"
"You wouldn't have done that unless you wanted something from me. What is it? What do you want?" As she spoke, Connie's voice grew louder and louder until it was just shy of a shout, her defensiveness feeding into anger.
Ruby grew more and more confused as Connie spoke, until she finally blurted out, "Stop! It's just pizza! We want to get to know you, okay?"
This statement, however, drew an entirely different response from the fox girl. She didn't react at first, though a look of dismay quickly overtook her features. What stunned the others, though, was the sickly green pallor she took on, and she grew more and more distant as she became lost in memory.
-O-O-O-
The mess hall of the 4th Armored Battalion was an example of organized chaos, as humans and Faunus alike swarmed the food tables. Four long rows of tables were filled all the way down, and the scrawny twelve year old girl could do nothing but stare. The old, ramshackle warehouse had been repurposed into their housing; the five days of initiation she'd spent bring forced to run and run and run until she puked; the mere fact that she was here… this was all just a dream, right?
She spent so much time trying to work up the nerve to do anything that she didn't notice the massive dog Faunus until he'd barreled into her, sending her sprawling to the floor.
"Watch it, kid!" he barked, and lumbered off.
She sat there, curled up on herself. Maybe if she stayed there, she'd disappear. Maybe that would be for the best…
"Kid, you okay?"
She looked up at the voice, and saw a human kneeling in front of her. He was several years older, but unlike many of the humans here he didn't look upon her with disgust or hate. Instead, all she saw was concern.
He frowned. "Did you hear me, kid?"
She looked down, and nodded.
The human smiled. "Okay, then. My name's Denny, what's yours?"
She bit her lip. "Connie," she said in the tiniest of voices.
"Alright, Connie," he said. "Why don't you join me and my team? We got pizza."
Connie frowned. "M… mommy said I shouldn't trust strangers."
Denny's face was skewed in a crooked grin. "Well, I know your name, and you know my name. That means we're not strangers anymore. And people who aren't strangers should get to know each other."
She couldn't fault his logic… but she still couldn't bring herself to get to her feet.
"C'mon kid. The pizza's shit, but its better than being out there alone, right? Just trust us."
-O-O-O-
Seeing this taking a bad turn, Yang sidled around her sister. She let a warm smile on her face as she said gently, "Connie, the food's just a conversation starter. We'd like to get to know you better."
Connie didn't say a word, simply staring deep into Yang's violet gaze as she came back to reality.
"Will you trust us?"
As soon as the words left Yang's mouth, Connie's eye hardened once more. The look of utter hate stunned them all as she snarled, "The last person I trusted fucked me over. I don't need you, or your trust, or your friendship. Keep your pizza, too."
She spun angrily on her heel without another word, trudging straight for her dorm room. Ruby jolted out of her daze, looking around frantically before her eyes settled on the forgotten pizza. Even with her Semblance, she couldn't grab the box and sprint to Connie's neighboring dorm in time before the door slammed in her face.
"Connie, I…" she trailed off. "Connie, please. You can trust us. I don't know what happened to you in Ironwood and I can't say I understand, but I want to be able to. You're a good person, I can feel it. You just have to let us in," she pleaded.
Silence.
Ruby looked to her sister, who was leaning out of their dorm room with a sympathetic look on her face. Over a minute passed before Ruby heard a breath as the door creaked open a sliver. Though she could only see one of the girl's eyes, Ruby's heart clenched at how utterly tired Connie looked, leaning her head against the jamb with half-lidded eyes.
"…I need to think," Connie said. Ruby gave an enthusiastic nod, smiling as the fox girl made to shut her door once more. Ruby realized something as she put a hand on Connie's door and said, "H-hey, wait."
Connie paused, her eyes shut. "What is it?" she reluctantly asked.
Ignoring at how sharp Connie's tone was, Ruby held up the pizza. "Me, Yang, Weiss and Blake got this for you. It's yours."
"But I didn't do anything to deserve it," Connie protested, holding up a hand to stop her.
Instead of stopping, Ruby gently pushed the door open and held the box out. "You don't need to do anything to deserve it, Connie."
Tense silence came over the two, with Connie eyeing a smiling Ruby. Slowly, Connie took the pizza box and backed into her room, eyes never leaving Ruby's as she said, "Th-thank you."
"Don't mention it. G'night," Ruby said, her tone chipper as she shut the door behind and left.
Yang was all smiles, bouncing as she said, "Ooh, Ruby! That was so adorable!"
Ruby squeaked as she was glomped by her sister, her breath stolen by Yang's untouchable strength. "Y-Yang… can't breathe…"
"That was… surprisingly well-handled, Ruby," Weiss said with a nod, checking over her nails as she sat on her bed.
"What an excellent backhanded compliment, Ice Queen," Blake shot, looking at the heiress from over her book.
"And there's Ice Queen again…" Weiss muttered in dismay.
Yang smiled and pulled away from her sister, who was turning a pretty shade of blue. "Ruby, I'm really proud of you," she said, warmth practically pouring out of her.
Ruby grinned back, hugging her sister around the waist as she said, "Thanks, Yang."
-O-O-O-
#1
She choked back a sob, struggling to keep her voice down. If nothing else, she didn't want to wake her neighbors with her weakness. She had no idea why she was crying – she never did, even though it was a near nightly ritual. It wasn't the first time that she had wished she could simply wipe the memories from her mind, both from her time in hell, and from happier days when she was just a kit. Just… gone. If memories were what made a person, she would gladly wipe them out just for the chance to start over new. Things would be clear and fresh, met with wonder for the world. She wouldn't be… herself.
She shuddered and pinched her nose as she took another bite of pizza. Of course, she could just be crying because of the sentiment behind it. The girl gave it to her, expecting nothing in return. Who did that? What person in their right mind did that? The pizza was so mouthwateringly good that all coherent thought was blown right out of her head, turning her into this gibbering mess.
Finally, she finished the last slice. Taking a shuddering breath, she carelessly tossed the box aside and hugged her legs, head resting atop her knees as she took calming breaths. She didn't know what to do. The girl wanted to get closer, that much was blatantly obvious, but could she allow herself?
She felt that she had good reason to resist the girl's attempts at friendship. It was unwanted, unnecessary, and illogical. A person could survive quite well without relationships, and relationships were just another way to inflict harm. But it got her to wondering if it would help keep the memories away. She'd acted out of anger she realized, but she didn't know if it was directed at the girl or herself.
She wiped her cheeks roughly and grabbed her scroll, tapping at it as she looked over documents she had gotten from Hicks that morning. Requisition forms, invoices, and manifests scrolled across the screen, giving her an exact idea of what she had to work with, and made a list of items that interested her. She didn't like that she had to go through him to get the necessary equipment, but she didn't have a choice either way – the fact that she'd hadn't been able to get clearance to enter the base even now was both negligent and disrespectful. If she ever ran into the VDF commander she'd chew him out. Rank be damned, she was worried about her baby.
Sighing, she leaned back against the bed and inspected her weapon. It was an old model, a Maverick Mk 47. While it had no modern amenities – recoil reduction, accelerator rails, oxidized propellant – it made up for it in sheer stopping power. Of course, that was her reasoning two weeks ago, before she had even come across Beacon. It killed Beowolves, but no other Grimm had skull armor as thin as that species. It had been useless against the Creep except to slow it down, and against larger Grimm?
It would be like a fly pummeling itself against a wall.
Though it pained her to part with a weapon that had seen her through the better part of five years, she resigned herself to finding a replacement. Hopefully, something on the list would catch her fancy.
And she would need it if she was to go through with her plan. The girl's resolve would be tested – she would strip away the girl's control and find out exactly what her thoughts were. What better way to do that than to pin her down and pressure the girl?
It would appease her treacherous thoughts, and she would once again prove to herself that no one – no one – could be trusted.
Determination filling her, she sent her list on to the soldier.
-O-O-O-
THE NEXT DAY
"For the past week you have all been wondering what the presence of our newest addition represents," Ozpin said, standing atop the stage in the Beacon auditorium. His eyes were hard and his voice was stern as he continued, "Let me put your suspicions to rest. Once a week, a team will be randomly selected to go on patrol outside the kingdom. Constance Carlisle will be assigned to provide tactical assistance and fire support, and it will be up to you to decide how best she will fit in your team tactics. With these exercises, she will be your liaison to familiarizing yourselves with military tactics and procedures, as well as strengthening your own ability to strategize with unknown factors present."
Glynda nodded and stepped forward, and as she explained specifics Ruby could hardly keep from bouncing where she stood.
"This is cool! This is so cool!" Ruby squealed.
"Ruby! Calm down!" Weiss scolded. "We're in public!"
"Yeah, but, we get to go on a mission with Connie! She's an actual Armor pilot!"
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Yes, you have established that multiple times this last week."
A week had gone by since Connie had arrived, and another two days since the incident outside their dorm room. Weiss and Ruby had apologized for their disagreement, though Weiss had said she couldn't just deny her instincts and welcome the Faunus with open arms. As it was, Connie was avoiding people more than ever, preferring to spend her time in her dorm room, with the teachers, or even with the strange guardsman who kept watch over the VDF elevator. That would have made Weiss' day if it meant Connie was out of their lives, but what threw her off were the long, contemplative stares Connie gave people, including her and the rest of Team RWBY. Ruby, in particular. It was becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss the thought that the Faunus was deciding how best to slit their throats while they all slept, though if it was to keep her blockheaded leader happy, she would… try.
"…Furthermore, it is imperative that if Miss Constance asks anything of you, it is in your best interest to follow her instructions as best you can," Goodwitch said. At hearing grumbles pass through the crowd, she adjusted her glasses and leveled her darkest glare at the students. "Despite her age, she has had enough training to be considered a professional Huntress. That is in addition to being accepted as a student in Beacon. I will defer to her after the conclusion of each patrol and this will be a graded assignment, so be sure to behave in a manner that reflects well on you, your team, and your abilities."
That quickly shut the mouths of any would-be naysayers.
Ozpin took a drink from his coffee mug, earning a stern glare from Glynda as he said, "These patrol missions are meant to familiarize you with the workings of Remnant's different branches of military, students. Put in your best efforts, and you will not be disappointed. Dismissed."
As students began to file out, Ruby couldn't contain her excitement, bouncing on her heels as she squealed, "Ooh, I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait!"
Weiss groaned and looked to Yang. "Could you please, for the love of Dust, control your sister?"
Smirking, Yang crossed her arms behind her head. "Welp, she's your partner, get to partnerin'!" she chipperly replied. Blake smirked, idly following the three with an amused gleam in her eyes.
"That's not- how do you even- I sincerely worry about you and your sister's mental health sometimes," Weiss groaned.
"Weiss does have a point," Blake interjected, just loud enough for them all to hear.
Now that most of the students had left the auditorium, Team RWBY made their way towards the exit. It was Saturday, giving them a whole forty-eight hours to themselves before it was back to boring lectures and mind-numbing homework. Ruby couldn't wait to hang out with her friends, and maybe even invite Connie along.
At this, Ruby's mood pulled a complete 180. "But, Connie still hasn't talked to us, and we don't see her at the cafeteria anymore. Have any of you even seen her eat?"
Now that Weiss thought about it, she hadn't, and it was strangely disturbing. "No… I can't say that I have."
"Nope," Yang agreed, frowning in concern. Blake shook her head as well.
Ruby steeled herself. "Okay, if she's going to starve herself, then I'm going to stop her. I don't care if she doesn't like it, or us. I'm not going to sit around and just-"
At that moment, her scroll rang. Frowning, she pulled it out and was shocked to see that it was from Connie. It was a simple message – Meet me in the firing range. Bring your weapon. Come alone.
She showed it to the others. "Um, guys? That was Connie."
Yang took a look at the strange message and frowned. "I don't like it. It smells fishy to me."
"I agree. This is obviously a trap," Weiss said with a nod.
Ruby frowned. "Uh, a trap for what? We're in school – it's not like people are just going to whip out a gun!"
There was a terrible crunch of gears behind them, and Ruby was dismayed to find that Coco, the leader of Team CFVY, was muttering curses under her breath as she fiddled with her jammed handbag, partially shifted into its weapon form. Coco snarled and yanked the minigun off the floor, casually walking by the group with the malfunctioning weapon held for the entire world to see.
Still silent, Yang, Weiss and Blake gave Ruby expectant looks.
"You were saying?" Blake asked.
Ruby groaned and rubbed her forehead. "Okay, okay, fine. But I know she wouldn't do anything, I don't think that Connie's a bad person!"
"You don't think anyone is a bad person, Rubes," Yang said. "You've been that way since you were little."
"I know that Torchwick guy isn't good," Ruby offered brightly.
Weiss leaned back on one foot as she crossed her arms. "That would be the understatement of the century, Ruby."
"Guys, please, trust me on this," Ruby pleaded. "If anything goes wrong, I have my scroll. And I'll have Crescent Rose with me! Really, I'll be fine."
There was a long, pregnant pause as Yang thought, until finally she threw up her hands and said, "Fine. You know what? Fine. You can go, but I'm coming with you."
"But Connie said that-"
"Screw Connie! Look, I wanna help her too, but I'm not going to let my sister waltz into danger alone."
"What danger?!"
"If it helps any, I'll let you go in there alone," Yang offered. "But I'm not going to let my baby sister be by herself with someone we don't know anything about."
-O-O-O-
"Yang…"
Ruby huddled into her hood, too embarrassed for words. Not only had her sister retrieved Ember Celica, she had also fully changed into her combat gear. It was quite a sight to see Ruby still in her school uniform, Crescent Rose at her back, while Yang walked beside her with glowing red eyes and ready to punch the next person who ventured too close.
"Yep?" Yang asked. It would've been comforting if it weren't for the fact that she was glaring holes into a guy as they walked past him, the sheer physical force of her gaze causing him to flatten himself against the wall as much as he possibly could. Of course, it could be because the last time she had looked this livid, she had nearly punched Cardin through a wall.
"You're being a little… intense."
"Yep."
"Are you gonna, you know, ease up?"
"Nope."
Ruby groaned. "Yang…"
"Okay, just…. Let me do this, okay?" Yang said worriedly. "If I can't escort my baby sis to a firing range where a Faunus super-badass is waiting for her with loaded weapons after sending her a mysterious text, which is totally something from a spy movie by the way, then what good am I?"
As she walked, Ruby wrapped a comforting arm around her sister's waist. "Yang, I'm going to be fine. I trust Connie, you saw how hard she tried to keep Patrick and Nina safe!"
"Yeah well, what a person looks like and what they are aren't the same thing. I just want you to be safe," Yang said quietly, settling her arm across Ruby's shoulders.
It was almost too soon that they reached the firing range. It was in the West Wing, appropriately next door to the Engineering Lab, and as Ruby approached the door she saw that it was reserved with the time flashing on the holopad beside the door. She detached herself from her sister and gave her a reassuring smile before Ruby turned to the door, and what awaited on the other side.
Ruby closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before she pushed the door open and walked in… alone.
-O-O-O-
Spent bullet casings littered the floor and counter of the firing booth Connie shot from, with a stack of hole-riddled metal and paper targets on the floor beside her. Frowning, she set the still-smoking gun aside. It was a bullpup-style sniper rifle, light and compact. Maybe it was a little too light though - her shoulder still tingled from the recoil. Weapon manufacturers nowadays just didn't understand the importance of weight in high-caliber guns, as it took much more force to move a fifteen pound gun than it did a five pound one. That translated directly into how much recoil was transferred through the gun, and thus how comfortable it was to use. Tossing it in the 'no' pile off in the corner, Connie walked back to the laden cart behind her and grabbed another gun at random.
This one was an M54, a compact heavy pistol made by Dronner66 Armories. She smiled slightly, hefting the little thing in her hand. It was a unique gun that used a bullpup design as well, pushing the grip forward on the gun and most of the slide back onto the hand and wrist. Though it looked unwieldy, bracing the gun against the entire wrist helped direct recoil into the arm instead of the wrist. The magazine was also braced against the wrist, keeping the sights perfectly in line with the arm. She'd actually seen it used before by most of her drill instructors, though she had been considered too unimportant to be given one.
There was a smug grin on her face as she slid in a clip, seeing that the bullets were even fatter than in those in the Maverick. She leaned forward and braced herself before aiming down the sights, fully expecting the fifty caliber round to knock her onto her rear.
She was pleasantly surprised when the gun barely thudded against her palm, yet utterly shredded the metal target downrange.
Connie smiled sadly as she eyed the Maverick where it lay on the counter to her shooting booth. It had served her well, and it pained her to say that its service was over.
At any rate, she had narrowed down her options. She'd reduced an entire cart of firearms into three haphazard piles of 'no, 'maybe,' and 'yes,' though the no pile was significantly larger than the other two. Plus it was literally a bunch of guns dumped in the corner of the range. Her gunnery chief would have a conniption if he saw.
Okay, there was technically only a 'no' and a 'maybe' pile…
Truth be told, Connie had been in the range all morning. She'd barely plucked up the nerve to send Ruby that message, having been agonizing over it since the night before – it was practically why she was in the range in the first place, in a feeble attempt to calm herself down. Firing high-powered bullets at targets always relaxed her. But… if she was being completely honest, she hadn't been eating or sleeping well either, preferring to roam the halls at night. The food – which was normally above and beyond anything she'd eaten in years – tasted bland and unappetizing. Her plan had been nagging at her ever since she had thought of it.
Connie aimed the M54 downrange and pulled the trigger as fast as the action would allow. The gun kept up easily, spitting out rounds at a pace that put the Maverick to shame. Ten bullets later, all that was left of the metal target was a hole-riddled piece of scrap. She was elated even as she removed the empty clip and locked the slide back.
Carefully setting the pistol aside back on the cart, fully intending to keep it, Connie looked over the last three guns. One was a shotgun, an old Carvington 870. It was a venerable model, but it had an abysmal effective range and she didn't like the idea of getting in close.
The second was a modification of the M54, making it more like a submachine gun, though it was large enough to be considered a rifle and utterly defeated the purpose of being a pistol.
The final gun caught her eye, though. It was a new design called an Orthrus, made by a derivative of Carlisle Industries. Peterku Labs, if she remembered right. Hefting the rifle in her hands, she found that it was made mostly of polymer, extremely lightweight and feeling almost fragile in her hands.
Connie was snapped out of her inspection when the door to the firing range opened. While she had been expecting Ruby to come, that certainly didn't mean she had prepared herself – and she found herself floundering as the red-hooded girl saw the piles of weapons and gasped.
"Wh-what?! How could you?! Oh, these poor babies!" she cried, and vanished in a blur of rose petals. It took Connie a few frantic moments of searching before she finally spotted Ruby huddled over where the heap of discarded weapons languished on the floor, cradling a large, belt-fed machine gun as tears streamed from her eyes. She moaned every time her eyes fell on another disrespected weapon, culminating in an exaggerated bawl.
Ruby tearfully looked to Connie. "How could you do this to them?" she whimpered, sniveling as she turned her face towards the heavens.
That's… interesting, Connie thought to herself. She caught herself wanting to explain herself to Ruby – and almost did – until she remembered why the both of them were there. Biting her tongue, Connie hardened her gaze and put her plan into motion.
Connie turned her back to the girl and fired a pair of shots at the target downrange. She nearly dropped the rifle in shock when it fired a ball of energized Dust that exploded on impact, like a scaled-down version of Grendel's cannon. Sure, it made a pretty explosion, but it just felt wrong. Frowning in distaste, Connie carelessly tossed the weapon towards the discarded arsenal. Ruby, who had been watching in awe, was horrified as she dived and caught the weapon before it could hit the ground.
This time, she really did turn a glare on Connie as she shouted, "Connie, stop! What're you doing?!"
Connie ignored her once again, instead picking up the M54 to shoot off another clip as fast as possible. Ruby ignored the loud, rapid-fire reports as she strode up to the fox girl.
"Connie, answer me! How could you just throw these babies away like that?!"
"Why shouldn't I?"
Ruby was taken back at Connie abrupt question. "Um… huh?"
"Why shouldn't I throw them away?" Connie asked again, looking Ruby in the eye as she lowered the empty, smoking gun. "I don't need them. They don't suit my purposes. To me, they're trash. So why shouldn't I throw them away?"
"Because it's disrespectful!" Ruby shouted indignantly. "Someone can still use them! Someone else will like them! Treating them like trash takes that away!"
"But why is that important to me?" Connie asked. "A weapon is a weapon. So tell me, why?"
Ruby scrunched her face in frustration. "They're not just weapons! They're extensions of us!"
Connie ejected the empty clip, setting it gently on the counter before she took the Maverick in her free hand and showed both guns to Ruby. "This is a Maverick Mk 47. I've had it for five years, and I'm replacing it for this M54. Ask me why."
Caught off guard by the change of subject, Ruby's anger was brushed aside. "U-um… why?"
"Because I no longer need it," Connie responded. "This Maverick no longer suits my purposes, so I'm replacing it. By your words, this Maverick is an extension of myself, and that, by definition, implies that I am bound to it. If that were the case, then I would not be able to part with it. So explain to me why I can throw it away so easily and not feel a thing?"
Ruby flapped her mouth like a fish, struggling for words as Connie stared her down. The girl's intense stare made her quiver and her thoughts race, struggling for an answer that might appease her. Feeling that time was short, Ruby felt her body grow cold in panic. The only thing that kept her grounded was the Orthrus cradled in her arms that she had saved from Connie's carelessness.
At this, Ruby paused. Lost in thought she took a mental step back and took another look at the discarded weapons. They were abandoned. Just like the Orthrus in her arms and just like the Maverick, Connie's own firearm, that was being replaced for something new and better. There was a connection, but what? She couldn't claim to know Connie or what made her tick, but Ruby knew the girl didn't do or say anything unless it had a purpose. Ruby understood what Connie was asking her on a practical level – her gun was outdated, so it was being replaced.
But why bring her down here just to ask that? Why ask for her specifically, no less? It didn't make sense – she knew Connie couldn't care less about what someone else thought. There had to be something else… and outright saying that she was replacing her gun was oddly specific.
Suddenly, it clicked. Ruby realized that this wasn't about the guns.
Taking a breath, Ruby examined the Orthrus in her arms. Connie grew impatient and demanded, "Aren't you going to answer? Why shouldn't… it be replaced?"
Connie scowled at her slip.
Ruby smiled, feeling the gun in her hands. Its Dust reactor pulsed like a heartbeat, fast and fluttery. "I actually haven't seen one of these Orthrus guns," she said. "They're one of the first mass-produced rifles that are powered by Dust. It uses an oscillating dampener instead of a steady magnetic field to produce the shot, so there's no lag time before it actually fires." She pointed to the machine gun. "That's an M249. It has one of the highest fire rates of any gun on Remnant. And that's a P92, it has really good stopping power for its size."
Carefully setting the weapon on the ground, Connie pulled Crescent Rose off her hip and triggered the catch, unfurling her weapon into a full-sized scythe that she jammed into the ground, making Connie jump back in shock. She smiled as she continued, "And this is Crescent Rose. She's a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle and scythe hybrid I made back in Signal. Yeah, sure, I overdesigned the heck out of her and she nearly broke my arms when I first started training with her, but she's a part of me."
Pausing, Ruby stared Connie straight in the eye. "They're all unique. They all have their own souls. They could never be replaced."
Connie felt cold. She had seen the realization in Ruby's eyes. Her plan to pressure her had backfired, and so easily, too.
"Then what about this," she demanded desperately, feeling her argument begin to crumble as she thrust the Maverick at Ruby. "It has high power, but it can't penetrate. The cartridges are preloaded and can jam, and don't have enough bullets to keep an enemy down for long. It needs to be cleaned constantly. It's inaccurate at long range. It has enough flaws to fill an entire textbook. Give me one reason why it shouldn't be replaced."
"Because you can't replace it. Even if it's gone, since it helped you out so much it'll stay with you."
At this, Connie growled and slammed the guns down on the counter. She gritted her teeth, ears laid back in anger. This girl… this damn girl!Why wouldn't she give her the answer she wanted?!
Losing all sense of pretense with her growing temper, Connie jammed her finger into Ruby's shoulder and snarled, "You want to know me? That's it?"
Ruby nodded.
"Give me one reason why you won't shove it back in my face! One!"
Ruby smiled. "Nope."
Connie jerked back like she'd been slapped. "Nope?"
"Nope. I can't because I wouldn't do that, Connie."
"And why wouldn't you?" she snapped, regaining her fury. "What's stopping you?"
Ruby shrugged. "I dunno. Because you're a friend to me."
At this, Connie's patience snapped. She ripped the M54 from the counter and fired shot after shot downrange, their echoes as thunderous a roar of frustration and anger as she could ever make.
"Everyone says that, right up until they leave you out to dry," she hissed once all her rounds had been fired.
Ruby was silent.
"My own squad left me like I was just- just a piece of trash!" Connie snarled, chest heaving as she hyperventilated, slamming the ground back on the counter. "I was the newbie, then I was the gofer, then I was the goddamn maid! I did everything they asked! I stole food from the canteen, I even palmed the teacher's scroll for exam notes! I was loyal in every way to them, and they still abandoned me! They left me like I was nothing!"
The firing range was silent, save for Connie's heaving breaths. Mentally, Connie was screaming at herself. Instead of pressuring the girl into talking the reverse happened, and she had hardly done a thing. It was so pathetic it made Connie sick to her stomach, and she looked to Ruby with a resigned, dead look in her eye.
"So tell me, Ruby Rose," she said bitterly, "what are you going to do? You're going to walk out of here and tell people what you saw, aren't you? The big, bad Faunus broke down!"
She sighed. "It doesn't matter anyway, I'm used to it." She shook her head. "It's always the same."
"Nope."
Connie sighed and rested her head in her palms, leaning against the booth. "To what…?" she groaned.
Ruby leaned against the counter beside the fox girl. "To both. I don't tell people someone else's feelings. And this place isn't Ironwood. Weiss told me how bad that place is, she went there herself." She pulled Crescent Rose out of the ground.
"I can't say I know what you've gone through because I'd be lying, but I'd like to… and I'm really bad at lying," she admitted, fiddling with her weapon. "Besides, you're the first person who's an Armor pilot and a Huntress! How cool is that?" Ruby said excitedly, her serious tone losing its edge.
"I'm not a Huntress," Connie muttered. Ruby giggled and nudged the fox girl with her shoulder, smiling as she stared at the bullet-riddled targets.
With a sigh, Connie fingered the M54 by her elbow. "So what now? No matter what you say, I can't trust you. And I know you're not going to leave me alone."
Ruby shrugged. "Well, just be with us."
Connie was immediately perplexed. "…Be with you?"
"Yeah. You don't need to talk. You don't even have to pay attention when Yang's making a bad pun, just… be there."
Connie felt like she was about to explode. She didn't know if the feeling was just frustration, or anger, or jealousy. It was as if her brain and body suddenly realized it didn't know what to do, and yet it desperately, desperately wanted to do just that. Acting in accordance with her training didn't help. Shooting targets didn't help. And being a cold-hearted bitch to this girl certainly wasn't helping, either.
But she was a soldier. This was all she could do.
"I… don't think that would be a good idea," she said. In her mind's eye, she could see herself throwing one of them over her shoulder if they touched her when she wasn't expecting it. Or standing at attention even when she wasn't trying to, trying to blend in and convince everyone she was the real thing. That wasn't even including the thought of one of them disturbing her in the night, earning a knife through the gut for their troubles.
"It wouldn't end well for any of us. It's safer that way."
At this, Ruby was flummoxed. She'd literally been flying by the seat of her pants, and calling Connie out on her argument was just a guess, a half-baked one at that. She could see the pain in the girl's eyes, but knew any form of comfort she could offer would be rejected. Ruby didn't know what to do from here. What could she do? Stumped, Ruby steeled herself and thought of the most obvious thing to say.
"Connie," she began, "do you want to be alone?"
A pause, and Connie shook her head.
"Do you like being alone?"
Another shake.
"Then I think you have your answer."
Not feeling the need to say anything more, Ruby collapsed Crescent Rose and left, letting the firing range door clunk softly behind her. As Yang wrapped her arm around her sister's neck as they strode away, admitting that she heard everything, Connie was lost in thought. She debated her next more, trying to decide the best course of action. One that would keep both her and the people around her safe. Her thoughts swirled chaotically, unable to settle on one decision before Connie simply threw her hands in the air in frustration.
-O-O-O-
During dinner later that night, Connie walked into the cafeteria hesitant and unsure. She spotted Team PSFN in the corner and gave Nina a small nod in greeting – one the knight returned in kind. Cardin scowled at her, glaring at her darkly as she crossed the room. She didn't give him the time of day as she quietly piled her tray with food. It was when she turned away from the food line that she paused, seeing Team RWBY only a few rows of tables away from her. They smiled and laughed – well, Ruby and Yang mostly, while Blake was content to watch and Weiss was doing her best to bring the two under control. Connie almost turned away, but then Ruby spotted her, her face lighting with a smile as she stood and waved.
"Connie! Over here!" she cried out, struggling to be heard over the din.
Connie froze, remembering Ruby's words from earlier.
Yeah. You don't need to talk. You don't even have to pay attention when Yang's making a bad pun, just… be there.
Against her better judgment, against every instinct screaming at her not to, Connie slowly made her way toward the group.
-O-O-O-
Felix hummed to himself as he bustled around his workshop, cheerful as he fixed and redesigned weapons of destruction. Part of his cheerfulness was that he had just finished repairs on the M7A6-H that had been brought in almost a week and a half ago, and knowing that he had just breathed new life into a machine like the M7 brought joy to his heart. He always enjoyed working them, no matter how few were left – they had a lot of room to work in, relatively, making repairs and maintenance far easier than most other designs. Granted, the machine would be on a slow spiral towards its own death, but he would delay it as long as he could.
After all, despite the pilot's somewhat dubious modifications, tinkering with the machine made it obvious that this particular M7 was rebuilt from several different designs. Despite the Frankensteined way the parts had been fitted together, it was done so with care. That in itself told him that she cared about the tank very much.
He was beside the vulture-like 'Mech, feet propped on a table as he poured over its programming on his Scroll when the door to his workshop opened with a whine of hydraulics. Felix shot to his feet at seeing who walked through the doors, standing as tall as his five foot flat body allowed him to.
"Ah. Commander Zurich. Pleasure to see you. Just working on the T1. Slow work, can't seem to reduce its power draw," Felix said in a rush.
Commander Zurich scanned the workshop, scrunching his nose at the overpowering smell of oil and hydraulic fluid. He was a stout man, human, shorter than Professor Port with just as much gut and black hair that smelled overwhelmingly of dye. Following him was a human teenager around nineteen, looking bored as he played with his brown ponytail.
Much to Felix's surprise, he was wearing a black piloting suit. He wasn't aware that there was an Armor pilot stationed in the VDF, though he wouldn't have missed someone quite that tall. The teen probably stood over six feet.
"Why have you not gotten rid of that thing yet," Zurich demanded in a thick accent, glaring at the M7.
Felix blinked. "Pilot unable to claim her machine. Not authorized. Your orders, I believe."
The mouse Faunus let out a surprised squawk when Zurich snatched him up by the front of his coveralls, lifting him off the floor as he snarled, "I do not care if you throw it in the trash compacter, I want that machine out of my sight."
Before Zurich could say anything more however, the teen frowned as he stepped towards the tank. "Hey, this hunk looks familiar. Whose is it?"
Felix grunted as he fumbled with Zurich's hands, trying to break free. "Pilot Carlisle! New student in Beacon!"
At this, the teen gave a wolfish laugh. "Aw man, Carlisle?! Seriously?! Holy shit, it's a small world…" He turned to Zurich. "Hey, Zurich –"
"Commander Zurich," the heavyset man growled, tossing Felix away like a ragdoll and ignoring him when he flew into a stack of pipes, knocking them over with hollow clangs.
"Whatever," the pilot said flippantly. "Look, I want that T1 and that tank."
At this, Felix leapt to his feet and rushed towards the pilot. "No no no! I cannot allow that! The T1 is a prototype! Never made it past testing! Will kill you, for sure! And M7 belongs to another pilot, not within the VDF's rights to –"
Felix gave another squawk when he was snatched off the ground again and brought within an inch of the pilot's face. "Look here, little mouse. I'm Falcone Winchester, you get me? My family practically runs the VDF now. It's within the VDF's rights to take that tank because I say it is."
He tossed the Faunus away, much like Zurich before. There was a sadistic grin as his face as he walked out of the room, muttering to himself, "Looks like I'll get to play with the fox again after all."
Zurich growled under his breath, leaving the room without another word. It was only when they were both gone that Felix poked his head out from the pile of tools her had been thrown in, once stacked on his workbench. His mouth was set in a determined line as he picked himself out of the mess, ambling to the tank to lift a small panel of armor. He tapped away at the conceal control pad as he muttered to himself, "No one… tank not his, must ensure it won't… Ah!"
He tapped another control, and the tank's AI intoned, "Command accepted. Hushed Casket protocols enabled. Generating access code. Proceeding with lockdown."
The cockpit hatch slammed shut, clicking as bolts locked into place. Nothing short of high-grade explosive would be able to crack the tank open now, and the AI, as rudimentary as it was, would be able to repel any sort of attack on its systems.
One way or another, he would make sure that no one but Connie would get their hands on her tank.
-O-O-O-
CODEX: VANV (Vale Navy) Eternity
The Vale Navy Vessel Eternity has a long history, stretching back nearly three hundred years. Her construction first began the 8th of Sun's Dusk, 1837, and was launched on the 4th of Last Seed in 1840. Her sister ship, Temperance, was constructed and launched during this same timeframe. The heaviest and most powerfully armed vessel of her time, displacing 72,800 tons at full load and armed with twelve 46 centimeter cannons, the Eternity was built as a symbol of the undying spirit of mankind, and sortied in forty-nine battles over her lifetime, nearly a third of those being naval battles. She also stands as the largest naval vessel in history, both at sea and airborne, reaching 263 meters in length, and 39 meters at her tallest point, being her conning tower. Additionally, she'd gone through multiple modernizations to prolong her lifespan, each leaving the Eternity the most advanced ocean-faring vessel on Remnant.
Throughout her lifetime, dozens of crews were rotated aboard the Eternity. While she was mainly used as support against the Grimm, the firepower she brought to bear made the ship invaluable simply as a bargaining chip – few people dared to go against her overwhelming firepower and nearly impenetrable armor. Seeing that there were few times that she was without her sister ship, Temperance, this was doubly true. While the Temperance was deployed in nearly every battle that the Eternity took part in and contributed just as much, the Eternity was often publicized and favored over her sister.
However, her most famous battle was the Mistralan Blockade during the Great War. A fleet of Faunus-converted freighters and trawlers had assaulted the main shipping lines of Mistral, cutting the kingdom off from the rest of Remnant. As resources were stretched thin while carrying out Order 636, the relocation and incarceration of all Faunus in Menagerie, only two ships could be spared from the main fleet inbound from Vale to Atlas. These ships were the Temperance and the Eternity. Together, they assaulted the main Faunus forces and routed nearly forty ships alone. However, midway through the battle, torpedo bombers were able to break through the flak cover of both ships. Reportedly, the Temperance maneuvered in the way of twenty-three torpedos, preventing no more than three to hit the Eternity. The Temperance was sunk, firing her final salvo against the enemy even as she disappeared beneath the waves, while the Eternity, suffering from flooding herself, drove off the remainders of the Faunus fleet before running herself aground to be recovered later.
The Eternity has lain there to this day, off the coast of Mistral. She has become something of a landmark – however, plans have been drawn to recover her. The wreckage of the Temperance has never been found either, and a memorial to their sacrifices has been erected at the base of the Vale CCT.