AN: And now, after nineteen thousand words, the Lone Courier is now entering the actual series.

Chapter 11 - Back to School

The Lone Courier knew that if he was actually going to attend this "Beacon" place tomorrow, he had his work cut out for him. Preparing to properly interact with an virtually unknown society in less than twenty-four hours was a tall order. Fortunately this place seemed nearly culturally and sociologically identical to pre-war civilization. That said, this would be by no means easy. He was after all, accustomed to the post apocalypse, not civilization. The closest thing to civilization he had experienced was back in Vault 101. The subject brought him nothing but bad memories. He sincerely hoped that Beacon was nothing like his Vault education. The Courier realized that he did not have time to think. He had much to do before he had to depart for Beacon.

Firstly, he would need to find out what was expected of him. A basic understanding of his obligations while at Beacon would be critical towards avoiding suspicion. He had no idea how much or how little scrutiny his story could endure. False paperwork would only go so far. If anyone sought more material evidence in regards to his background, this entire charade would be up. It was therefore imperative for him to give no one any cause to doubt him or perform even the most superficial looking into his past and identity.

Secondly, he would need to determine who he would be. Naturally the Courier could not act as his normal Wasteland self in context of a school, even a combat one. Bitterly cynical do-gooder was not the best face for infiltration. He therefore needed to decide what kind of persona he would be adopting.

There were two principal types of personalities, introverted and extroverted. Both had advantages and disadvantages to his objectives. Extroversion would allow him to deflect suspicion by being everybody's friend. By adopting the personality of one who it would be unthinkable to have any kind of meaningful secret he could discourage any investigation in regards to his past. Acting extroverted would also allow him to fight the Good Fight directly, even on the micro-level it would be reduced to in a school setting. However adopting an extroverted person had major downsides. He would end up having to give away more personal information than he was comfortable with sharing. While he had no real intention of giving away the truth, inquiries into his personal life would eventually lead to a web of lies that were largely created on the fly. His new identity needed to be well thought out, no made up on the spot. If he ever contradicted himself the game would immediately be up. So he found it preferable to give himself the least possible chances of failure.

Perhaps even more significantly, he would simply be outright more noticeable. The more people he interacted with, the more likely one of them would do some digging as to his background. This entire plan hinged on the idea that no one too smart or with too many resources became suspicious. Thus putting himself out there by befriending everyone was counter-intuitive.

The other option, introversion, had some benefits as well. Due to this being what he considered to be an extended covert operation, he would have more success if his assumed personality was closer to his actual one. The closer a lie was to the truth, the easier it was to sell it. The Courier knew that he was anything but a natural extrovert. He had a cynical and paranoid view of humanity as a whole. As well, by remaining quiet and not interacting with too many people, the Courier knew that he could limit the risk by limiting his exposure. The less people who know about him, the less people think about him, the less likely someone gets the idea to investigate his past.

However the Lone Wanderer also knew that if he was too quiet and antisocial he would attract even more attention than if he was extroverted, and of a more dangerous variety. If he was too quiet, someone might consider him "mysterious" and thus worth investigating. Which was exactly what he needed to avoid at all costs.

On the bright side, the fact that his father supposedly ran a company that specializes in classified military technology would explain certain things as well as give him the "that's classified" excuse. While this could also explain the technological level of some of the weapons he possessed, it would not be prudent for him to walk through the front door wearing his Winterized T-51B power armor and holding the Sprtel-Wood 9700. He would limit himself to conventional projectile weaponry and would use Dust based ammunition. While in his research he determined that Dust rounds used the same calibers as conventional rounds and the only real difference in utilization was that Dust rounds would wear out the barrels of his weapons quicker. Overall, a small price to pay to avoid questions.

His story was the most critical part of this whole deception. He needed to know every detail cold. He had been privately educated by a variety of tutors as well as his father. His mother had died giving birth to him. His father was terminally ill and his health had deteriorated over the last few years. This provided the excuse for the Courier to have involvement with the fake company and for his father not to appear publicly. He decided to leave the nature of his father's illness intentionally vague. The topic was not one that would come up even in highly personal conversations. The story also played a role in determining details of his persona. His background meant that he was well educated, which he was, even by pre-war standards. If there was one thing he could sincerely thank Vault-tec for it was for his education. Fortunately in the case of Vault 101, Vault-tec hadn't decided to mess with the education aspect, preserving much pre-war knowledge that would have otherwise been lost. Of course, the Courier had supplemented this basic education by reading just about everything he could get his hands on. The archives of both the Brotherhood of Steel and the Followers of the Apocalypse in addition to pre-war libraries held enough knowledge for the Courier to have a fairly in-depth understanding of most subjects. This included history, leading to him having a very dim view of human nature.

As for what weapons he should use, based on the threat the "Beowolves" he had fought posed, he was more than fine with only Maria and his trench knife. The Grimm were far more fragile than animals of the same size would be. They sublimated after being fatally wounded despite the fact that an animal would have still been entirely capable of fighting for minutes longer. .45 ACP and 9mm Parabellum should have barely annoyed beasts that size. Instead, virtually every shot was a kill-shot.

However he recognized that his habit of shooting creatures that size in the head due to past experiences with Yao Guai left him with a skewed sample size. The effectiveness of pistol caliber bullets to the center of mass on these creatures was an entirely different question altogether and might be more inline with what he had expected.

One thing that the Courier had learned in his readings on the Grimm was the sometimes literally unbelievably massive sizes they came in. Therefore in the event he encountered larger creatures or harder targets, he decided that it was a good idea to keep his Anti-Materiel Rifle with him. While the rugged and battle-worn appearance of the weapon did not fit with his image as having an incredibly wealthy background as much as say, Maria did, he had no alternative for firepower and materializing weapons was something he needed to avoid if at all possible. The Courier was aware that the digitization ability that his Pip-boy possessed would draw unwanted attention. Therefore, much to his own displeasure, he resolved to use this function as little as he was going to materialize and dematerialize things it needed to be in controlled conditions in which he could be certain he was not going to be observed. The heat of battle, was anything but that. The resolution to not utilize his Pip-Boy brought its own set of problems. The transportation of everything he needed would have to be done the old fashioned way.

With his newly acquired wealth, the acquisition of luggage took virtually no time at all, especially considering that . However, the time it took to purchase and pack the things that Beacon required of its students (a list found through less than honest means) meant that it was early evening by the time this simple task was completed. The Lone Courier was running out of time.

The Courier had rented a pre-furnished apartment in the up-side of town entirely remotely several day ago, immediately after setting up his identity; though he had spent virtually no time there. He had intentionally gotten a residence as close to Vale's Library, anticipating the vast amount of time he would spend absorbing the accumulated knowledge the building held. Of course, the whole "Beacon fiasco" forced him to abort his prior long term plans. With the exception of repairing the Transportalponder of course. Attending Beacon would slow his progress towards that goal, but hopefully it might prevent questions being asked. As it was, he could bear essentially no scrutiny and would have to rely on luck to not give the game away.

Now back in the apartment, the Courier now had to work on the most difficult task he had so far encountered. There seemed to be little information on the function of Aura and even less in the way of scientific data that pertained to its activation. Despite this, he had found out that it was something that was done at an early age, and someone such as himself would be expected to have it. Therefore, he would need to figure out how to activate it. Tonight.

As far as he knew, there were only two ways to activate a person's Aura: have someone else unlock it for them, or unlock it through deep concentration and discipline. While this was not much to go on, the Courier was determined to make it work. He had to.

Hours dragged by uneventfully. The Courier did not feel he was making any progress. His efforts to clear his mind seemed futile. For every memory he put out of his mind, another took its place. He typically always kept his mind active in order to prevent the feelings of guilt and regret that plagued him when left to his own thoughts. Despite this, he preserved. The hours passed with the Courier acutely noticing the passing of time. He had to force himself not to count the minutes.

Eventually, the Lone Wanderer stirred from his meditations, convinced that his efforts were futile and a different approach needed to be attempted. He was surprised therefore to discover an ethereal glow of a silvery sheen surrounding his form.

Initially, he was jubilant; it had worked! As the excitement faded however, he noticed that the glow seemed to be flickering. Even more damning than that was a feeling that his Aura was weak. Despite the lateness of the hour, the Lone Wanderer immediately set about diagnosing the issue.

Despite a lack of a definitive answer to his Aura deficiency, the Courier's best guess, was that it had not activated properly or entirely. In this stage, it felt nowhere near capable of stopping even a .22 round much less saving him from a high powered rifle. In the end, the Lone Courier hoped that this would be enough to satisfy the people at Beacon. He really didn't have the time to attempt to strengthen it before he had to leave. He had spent the entire night and morning getting as far as he had.

If he wanted to improve the strength of his Aura he would either need to continue with meditation exercises or find someone that he trusted enough to activate his Aura for him which he felt was unlikely.

He concluded that having weak Aura should be of little issue for him tactically. He had always previously fought without it and often against much more durable opponents without much in the way of armor.

He remembered his early days in the Capital Wasteland, shooting Super mutants with a bolt-action rifle wearing nothing but his Vault-Suit for protection. He had no nostalgia for those days. There was nothing but constant danger and fear of death that he had willingly subjected himself to because he wanted to play hero. He didn't regret it at all though, but it was beyond him to look back fondly on his own suffering.

At this point, all he could do was pack his things and get on the airship to Beacon. He had done all he could in the amount of time he had. The rest of it was up to luck.

The Lone Courier stood with his feet shoulder width apart and his hands clasped loosely behind his back as he watched the city of Vale pass slowly by through the viewport of the airship. The experience of watching a thriving metropolis pass below him was a surreal once to say the least, though his face showed no indication of his thoughts.

He was wearing his typical Vale attire of Benny's checkered suit and gold framed aviators. So far, he had not been bothered. Mirrored lenses tended to put off conversation. People milled around, conversing with one another or simply admiring the view, as he was. A sense of nervousness and anticipation filled the vehicle. The Courier, of course, did not share these feelings. He was far too jaded to worry about something this trivial. Instead of worrying, he made plans. That was how one survived in the Wasteland.

His silent observation was interrupted by a hologram (the technology of this place continued to impress him) delivering the news,

"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick (the Courier made sure to remember that name), who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale police department. Back to you Lisa."

The Courier directed his attention towards the hologram and turned fully to face the broadcast. A silver haired woman continued,

"Thank you Ciril. In other news, this Saturday's faunus civil rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony the once peaceful organization has now disrupted-" the broadcast cut off suddenly, to be replaced with a blonde, middle aged, bespectacled woman of a stern demeanor.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon,"

this new figure started, "My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace (the Lone Wanderer mentally scoffed at that statement) and as future huntsmen and huntresses it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

The broadcast quickly faded. The Courier thought that if these hunters and huntresses were active in the wasteland, his job as peacekeeper might be more manageable. However, upon looking around him, the kids that he saw did not look like they would do well in the Wasteland. Sure, they might be able to take down packs of raiders on their own, but no matter their combat prowess, it would not save them from betrayal or bad luck. They simply did not have the mentality required to fight what was effectively a constant war, both for ideals and survival. The whole Aura thing meant that it was likely none of them had taken a human (or Faunus, he reminded himself though he was reasonably certain Faunus were technically human) life. The ability to kill was critical to survival and something that could not easily be taught.

As the airship climbed higher, there was a collective ooh of appreciation for the vista that was seen through the viewports. The Lone Courier meanwhile, took the time to examine his fellow occupants. He needed to prioritize practical information. Most seemed utterly unremarkable, a conclusion supported by his optical scanner's analysis of low threat for most of them. Those that were not a low threat were further scrutinized by the Courier.

A male student of asian descent and a female with orange hair and nordic features both registered as moderate threats. They were standing close together and conversing though the conversation seemed rather one-sided. Their mannerisms indicated they knew each other well. Another pair was exhibiting similar familiarity. A tall blonde with purple eyes and a girl a head shorter than her with red tinted hair also were designated as of moderate strength. The Courier would keep a close eye on the individuals he had discovered. Both as a source of potential allies, and a list of potential threats.

Another as of yet unexplained peculiarity was the prevalence of unnatural hair and eye colors. He was not sure whether they were the result of regional mutations or dyes and colored contacts. The Courier worried briefly whether or not his lack of such colors would counterintuitively make him stand out. However, upon closer inspection of various individuals around him, there were enough with what he considered "normal" colors for his own features not to stand out. Besides, it wasn't like he could do anything about it at this point.

While the density of the crowd prevented observation of the majority of the students, one in particular stood out to him. And worried him. A roughly six foot tall red-headed girl was determined to be a high threat by his implant. This concerned the Courier because the last thing to be considered a high threat to him was the Legendary Deathclaw. That had gone relatively poorly, and he had the scars to prove it.

He would need to watch her carefully in order to find both the reason she was so dangerous as well as her motivations. Motives were as important as capability. If she was simply another student, her potential threat was irrelevant. However he would need to ensure this beyond any doubt. A person of considerable threat with ulterior motives was incredibly dangerous. He considered simply befriending her to mitigate the potential for conflict. Allies were preferable even to vanquished enemies. However he knew that an alliance with the powerful was never to be trusted. It was why the NCR were so wary of him after all. It was also the only reason the NCR had an alliance with the McNamara Brotherhood. The imbalance of power in favor of the NCR meant that they had nothing to fear from aligning with the Brotherhood.

And so the Lone Courier stood in the company of a bunch of highschoolers and determined which was the most dangerous and how he would kill them.

AN: Wooo! I did it! I finally made it to the first episode. And it only took twenty thousand words! This should make things easier as I merely need to decide how the Lone Courier will affect the existing plot rather than generate an entire new one. It only took some serious messing around to get a correctly aged Lone Courier into Beacon without everyone knowing he has killed over a thousand people because, let's be real here, if team RWBY knew what he has done (all the morally correct choices in Fallout by the way) they would find him irredeemable.