The isle of Patch, safest place in Vale or so the good King James Goodwitch once said. A gem of land handed over to the remnants of the former fallen kingdom just west of the isle, Ivellon. A home away from home, a realm reborn, and an opportunity for their families to regain titles lost during the Fracture. Yet, such promises came with an unwritten duty, an oath.

The sound of a fist pounding against his desk suddenly woke Jaune from his afternoon nap. His blue eyes slowly opened as he smelled the ocean tinged winds from the open window next to his desk. His restful sleep came to an abrupt end as reality returned and he looked at the ginger haired male student sitting at the desk just in front of him.

"Wake up dweeb. I'm giving you permission to skip getting lunch for me today. Not feeling that shit at all today. Grab me and the guys something to drink instead," Cardin Winchester looked queasy as he rested his head on his own desk.

Jaune stretched as he rose from his seat, "Lunch already? Didn't mean to sleep through history."

"Who gives a shit about history? I'll sum it up for you, Jauney boy. The Great War goes down and we almost kick everyone's ass before the moon fractured and those Grimm aliens invaded your shitty home. Everyone has to suddenly stop because everything is fucked. Ivellon goes to hell and your families come and beg us for scraps. That's how you freeloaders ended up on my family's land. Now go get me some goddamn ice tea," Cardin kept his head resting against his desk, staring out the second story window.

Cardin's tirade drew laughter from the student seated just to Jaune's right. Causing Cardin to raise his head from his desk for a brief moment, "Shut up, Yang."

Yang rolled her eyes, "Why, forgive me your majesty! I didn't know the great Winchester family was so important. I'll tell my mother of my grave slight against you so she may apologize to yours during their tea party!"

Cardin groaned against his desk, "Do I want to know which of your mother's my mom decided to drag into those shitty get togethers?"

Yang tapped her cheek for a moment, "Hmm, both! My dad's so happy he finally gets a chance to go out on Fridays now."

Cardin slowly lifted his head, speaking bitterly, "Yeah, well… Maybe he'll finally get a break from you too. Do me a favor and do well on the M.S.C.E."

Yang flipped him off before turning her attention away from both of them.

Jaune froze at Cardin's words as he was suddenly reminded today was the day lives could be changed. The Mechanized Synchronization Candidacy Exam, an exam all Signal Academy students dreaded. Well, all fourth year students in general really. No one was spared from the duty they owed their homelands. All students would be tested for their potential to be candidates for the Mechanized Infantry.

He took a step forward, nearly tripping, before catching himself. Jaune took a deep breath only to notice both Cardin and Yang staring at him.

"You getting the drinks, Jaune? As much as I would love to drop dead of dehydration right now, I'm sure they'd just drag my sorry ass to the simulation pod anyways."

"Give him a break, Cardin. If anyone should be worried, it's him. His sister is over in the west on the frontlines. I heard people with family in the force already have a higher chance of passing the exam."

Jaune shook his head, "It's fine. I'll go grab something from the vending machines," he hurried off.

As Jaune closed the classroom door behind him, he took a moment to center himself. Yang wasn't wrong. Saphron had passed the exam when she was in her fourth year with a 27% synchronization rate. She barely cleared the 25% synchronization they were looking for among the students. As soon as she passed, she was dragged off by the military for a year of training and then thrown into the frontlines. Last he heard from her was four months ago when she announced she started dating an Atleasian First Lieutenant she was serving with.

Jaune reminded himself communication was sporadic with those on the frontlines against the Grimm as he hurried towards the cafeteria. Thankfully, there was not a line at the vending machine. He pulled out his wallet and deposited 20 Lien. Just enough for six raspberry iced teas and some change.

As he waited for the drinks to come out, he checked his scroll to see if he got any messages during class. He was greeted by a single notification from his third year sister, Lilly. He opened the message only to be greeted with a picture of a Menagerian monkey hanging upside down from a tree by its feet in some grand jungle on the island nation.

A single line of text followed the picture, "This u?"

The tension Jaune felt before was slowly lost as he laughed at the message. The faded look of the image was something he recognized almost immediately. That monkey was in one of their biology textbooks from last year. It was a shame the fourth years shared their lunch period with the second years instead of the third years. He would have bought her an iced tea as well.

He sent her a smiley face before scooping up the six drinks from the vending machine. He turned away from the vending machine only to frown at the mass of students trickling in from the front doors of the cafeteria.

'Guess I'll take the long way back to class,' he thought.

It wasn't much longer, but it would require him to take the far stairs once he left the cafeteria from the side entrance. Jaune pushed his way out the side entrance door, determined to drop off the drinks as soon as he could. Carrying around six bottles of iced tea against his chest was awfully cumbersome.

He reached the far set of stairs most students went out of their way to avoid. It really was completely out of the way after all. Just as he was about to make his way up the stairs, he paused as he heard sniffling from the janitor's closet right next to the staircase.

'Did Bob finally lose it or something? That old janitor doesn't deserve the way he gets treated.'

Jaune took a step away from the staircase and headed over towards the janitor closet. With the drinks still held against his chest, he reached out and lightly knocked on the door with his free hand.

"Hey, you okay?"

The sniffling was broken for a moment as a girl yelled from behind the door, "Go away!"

'Yeah, that's not Bob in there,' Jaune's hand reached for the handle of the door trying to open it.

The handle shook, yet would not budge as the girl yelled again, "Leave me alone!"

A part of Jaune wondered why he was even bothering with this before he came to a realization, 'I can't bring myself to walk away. What if it was one of my sisters hiding away crying?'

"Hey, how long have you been in there? It's lunchtime for second and fourths. You want something to drink? I have ice tea," he spoke softly as he tried to keep his tone calm.

A few moments of quiet sniffling passed before the janitor's closet slowly crept open. Jaune caught a glimpse of silver eyes before a hand reached out and pulled him in. The door was slammed shut behind him as he looked down at the face of Yang's sister.

"Ruby? What happened?" Jaune looked her up and down, noticing she was still wearing her clothes for gym period. Her shorts and Signal Academy gym shirt were caked in mud and grass stains.

She locked the door before shoving past him to sit on the lone chair within the janitor closet. Besides the chair and the two filled shelves of miscellaneous stuff, there was not much more to the room. He leaned against the door, handing her one of the iced teas originally meant for him. Jaune patiently waited for her to wipe the tears from her eyes from one of the tissue boxes on the shelves.

"W-we were doing the mile today. I was doing good too! When one of those evil girls shoved me during the field half. Mom says I should keep doing my best and ignore them, but it's so hard! When I picked myself back up another girl shoved me and then another!" Ruby wiped at her eyes with her arm as rage crept up Jaune's spine.

"Why? Why would they do that to you? They had to have known what would happen if Mr. Xiao Long saw you like that when you finished the mile for his class."

"N-no. Dad didn't see what happened. When I got a chance to run away I ran right here. I-I didn't want to cause trouble."

Jaune clenched his fist as he tried to keep his tone even, "Ruby. Your gym period is your first period of the day, right?"

Ruby nodded her head as she opened the iced tea he had given her.

"Third period just ended, Ruby. You've been in here for nearly three hours now. Why not go to the nurse and go home?"

She mumbled into her iced tea for a few seconds before meeting his gaze, "Yang. I don't want her to get into fights again. Dad will get really mad too and don't even get me started on mama Raven."

Jaune slowly slid against the door, taking a seat. He set four of the iced teas by his side before picking up the fifth to open, "This isn't the first time this happened was it? I knew Yang had to spend a few days at home to cool off after a fight, but I never got the details."

Ruby grabbed a tissue to blow her nose, "It's not. I don't know why they're so mean to me! They pick on me everyday. Mom says to just ignore it and Mama says to fight back, but it's hard to do either. What if Dad gets in trouble because of me? Do you even know how this feels? Yang got suspended because of me!"

Jaune motioned towards the four iced teas at his side, "I might have some experience with being pushed around a little. Nothing to the extent of violence though. You don't deserve to be treated like that at all. When did this start?"

Ruby paused as she looked at the iced tea clenched in her hands, "It started this year when that girl transferred into my class from Vale. I don't even know her name! But my friends stopped being my friends when she started to come around."

"Second year transfer student... Carmine?" Jaune mumbled.

Ruby nodded before her eyes narrowed at him, "I think so too. Wait, why do you know that?"

Jaune sipped from his own iced tea before speaking, "I took Yearbook as one of my electives this year. Names, quotes, and pictures are something we deal with pretty much every day. I think I formatted your class page just last week for the yearbook."

A small smile grew on Ruby's face, "Is Yearbook a fun elective? Yang talks about it sometimes, but it's mostly complaining."

"I guess it depends really. I enjoy it at least. Most of my job is the tech side of things. Yang ended up being assigned to the design portion. I think she hates working alongside Cardin on that."

Ruby seemed to be calming down as she asked him a question, "Do you use your scroll for the tech stuff or do you have to use one of those slow school computers?"

Jaune put on an overly exaggerated face of disgust, "I'm required to use the school computer because their editing software is apparently top of the line."

Ruby giggled, "I bet it's just as up to date as the hardware in those computers too."

"Yep, a whole five years behind as well. It's a pain in the ass, so I just do the edits on my scroll and send them to myself before pulling them up on the computer. I think my teacher would have a heart attack if he knew."

The two fell into silence as they sipped at their drinks. Ruby seemed to be in a much better mood as Jaune continued to sit against the janitorial door. She eventually broke the silence with another question.

"Hey, Jaune? Can you go get my stuff from my hallway locker for me? I have a spare pair of clothes in there just in case stuff happens. I need to go back to the locker room to get my backpack and actual clothes, but I don't want to leave the room like this."

Jaune rose from the ground, "Yeah, let me know the locker number and combo."

Ruby rattled off a couple numbers as Jaune turned around to leave the room, "Help yourself to any of those ice teas."

He unlocked the door before slipping out of the closet, 'How did she get in there anyways? Did Bob forget to lock up?'

The journey to Ruby's locker took him by the cafeteria again. It seemed the lunch rush had mostly died down as he hurried along. It didn't take long to find Ruby's locker in the hallway. A few quick turns of the dial later and the locker opened.

As the locker door swung open, Jaune was blown away by the sheer amount of stickers draping the taped up paper on the back panel of the locker. There was practically a sticker of every mech among the military forces of the four kingdoms. The lithe Atlesian Cleric, the bulky Mistrali Gladiator, some scrapheap the Vacuan military called the Scarab, and even the aerial Valean Wyvern.

Jaune pulled himself away from looking at her collection of mecha stickers in favor of grabbing the change of clothes she had in the locker. There was a small bag tucked away in the back of the locker. A quick glance in the bag showed it contained at least a shirt on top, as what else could possibly be covered in a giant "Pumpkin Pete's" message?

Having seven sisters, he dared not check the bag any further. Jaune closed Ruby's locker, taking a moment to lock it, before heading back towards the janitor closet. He passed through the cafeteria this time in order to skip going through the halls. The cafeteria staff wiping up the empty tables showed he needed to pick up his pace.

Jaune reached the janitorial closet and lightly knocked on it, "It's me."

Ruby cracked open the door, glancing at him. He silently handed her the bag before she shut the door again. Jaune waited a little while before he heard her speak up from behind the door.

"I'm done changing, you can come in."

Jaune let himself in just to find Ruby drinking from a second iced tea as she sat on the lone chair in the room. It looked like he was correct about the message belonging to a shirt. Ruby wore a black t-shirt with orange text advertising a certain cereal brand and a pair of jean shorts.

Jaune leaned against the door, "So, you feeling better? Looks like lunch is just about done. Saw those stickers on your locker. Those were pretty good quality."

Ruby put down her second iced tea, "Much better. I still need to get my stuff from the locker room though. My parents are going to be so mad I ditched classes. That's Yang's thing, not mine. Oh, the mech stickers? Yeah, I found someone custom making them online. I put some of my allowance towards them to build my collection."

"Do you keep up with the military? I don't know if you know this, but my older sister, Saphron, is a Second Lieutenant in the Valean forces," he hoped she was doing well out there.

Ruby's eyes lit up, "Really? I didn't know! What does she pilot? A Wyvern, maybe a Basilisk, or even a Unicorn?"

Surprised by her enthusiasm, Jaune hesitated for a few moments as he tried to remember the messages Saphron had been allowed to send out from the frontlines.

"Uhhh, she kept complaining that it was hard to control and was bulky. It was painted dark green too, so I guess it must have been a Basilisk."

Ruby whistled, "Wow, she must be in the vanguard for her squad then. Your sister must be really cool! The Basilisks get these really big assault shotguns and a huge steel sword slathered in ice dust. They go up against the swarmer class Grimm a lot."

Jaune nodded, "Yeah, Saphron is a real badass. I have no clue how she can even control one of those things. I hope she's still kicking."

Ruby's excitement faded, "Ah, yeah. I hope she is too. Do you know where she's stationed? Uh, you know. If you don't mind me asking of course!"

"She's west of Patch on the frontlines. You know how Atlas and Vale finally got a foothold where the Kingdom of Ivellon used to exist? She got assigned to one of the camps there."

Ruby sat up from her chair and came over to tap him on the shoulder, "Cheer up! I'm sure she's doing just fine out there. It's not like they have any plans to assault one of the Burrows any time soon. She's probably kicking some stray Grimm butt out there with her squad."

Jaune gave her a small smile, "Thanks. We can only hope she's getting revenge for us out there. You ever wonder what it would have been like to live out there like our grandparents?"

Ruby shrugged, "I dunno, my Mom's family weren't super bigshots or anything like that. I don't think my life would have changed that much."

"I think my life would have been pretty different. Apparently, my family had connections to the Ivellon line. Not that it matters much now."

Ruby hummed in thought, "I wonder if any of the Ivellon are still around? You think they would be like some of the stuffy noble types we have here? Yang is always complaining about that Cardin guy."

"Beats me, Ruby. Whatever connections my family had are long gone. My Mom and Dad get by with the winery my grandpa left us."

"My Mama is some type of bigshot in Vacuo or at least I think she is. She makes the most out of my parents."

Just as Jaune was about to respond, the two heard the sound of the school bell ring, signaling the end of lunch, before the intercom blared to life just outside of the janitorial closet.

"All fourth year students, please head to the gymnasium as soon as possible for your exams."

Ruby grabbed her two empty iced teas, "We should get moving. I'll go with you to the gym. I still need to get into the locker room."

Jaune could hardly keep his growing dread away as he scooped up the remaining iced teas, "Right, the gym. I guess I need to get there soon."

One advantage to being on the far side of the school was the ability to quickly traverse to the gymnasium. It was incredibly inconvenient during actual classes, with having to arrive in the locker rooms and dress up all within the passing period. For the first time this year, Jaune arrived early at the gymnasium for something for once and he hated it. It seemed the other students were dragging their feet when it came to following the intercom announcement.

Jaune stood just outside the entrance to the gym, steeling himself for the upcoming military sanctioned exam. Ruby seemed to not notice his growing discomfort as she casually walked at his side humming the catchy Pumpkin Pete's theme. She paused her humming as he hesitated to continue forward.

"You look down. Are assemblies really that boring for seniors? I know Yang says they can be dull, but you look like you just hit your elbow on a door handle."

"Not an assembly today. Didn't Yang say anything to you or even your dad? We have the M.S.C.E. today," Jaune fidgeted in place as he nervously scratched his elbow.

"No. She didn't…" Ruby seemed lost in her thoughts for a few moments before shaking herself out of them.

"I should really hurry up then. I hope they didn't lock the locker room up for this," Ruby immediately opened the door to the gym.

The usual wide opened gym was divided in half by some type of long opaque white tarp. A rather bizarre sight, yet not the strangest sight to be seen within the room. Jaune had expected to see the Valean green military fatigues on the military personnel brought in to host the exams. The last thing he expected was the pristine white and blue uniforms of Atlesian soldiers.

"Um, Jaune? Are those two back there really big or is it just me?" Ruby had leaned in close to him to whisper as the two stood just outside the doorway.

Jaune looked towards the spot Ruby pointed towards. True to her observation, two individuals in Atlesian garb stood towering over the rest. A male and female soldier with tanned skin and dark hair stood in a rested guard just outside what looked like the flap for the opaque divider.

Jaune squinted trying to look at both of their shoulders before whispering back at Ruby, "I think they might be pilots. Saphron had a similar insignia in her training photos, but I don't know what the markings mean."

"Vale and Atlas share insignia designs. Those two definitely look like pilots! One looks like a First Lieutenant and the other a Second Lieutenant," Ruby's eyes were shining with excitement.

"Yeah? Well you should probably go take the back entrance to the locker room. Those two don't look happy to be here at all," Jaune continued to watch them for a few moments before he felt a hand suddenly squeeze down on his shoulder.

"Eep!" Ruby seemed to have been grabbed as well.

Both turned away from their conspiring to see narrowed yellowed eyes and a sharp grin staring them down, "Why, hello there children! Indeed, those two don't want to be here at all! However, today is special. Today is a glorious day. Today is the day you get to prove your worth to our fair XO. Now, no hurrying. You might just trip and hurt yourselves."

The man gave them both a light shove forward as Jaune took notice of the soldier's weird tail ending with a stinger. Faunus were rare to see in Vale, doubly so in Patch. Tensions still ran high to this day when it came to Faunus. The Faunus forced the former King James Goodwitch to cede conquered Mistrali land as a compromise to prevent anarchy within the four surviving kingdoms during the Fracture. At least, Jaune's history professor droned on about it near constantly when he didn't spend the period napping.

Ruby stumbled slightly before frowning, "Watch it mister! I'm not here for the exam, I need to get my stuff from my locker."

"Wowie! Already I get to hear excuses. Come on you two, get moving towards the simulation pods. There are a million places I would rather be right now," the soldier grabbed both of their arms and started to drag them forward.

Jaune pulled his arm away from the soldier, "She's not making excuses! Look at her, she's tiny. Are you blind? Can't you just let her get her stuff?"

The soldier stopped moving, his weird armored tail flicking in the air, "Hmm, how about no? She'll have to take the test someday right? Who cares if it's a little early? How old are you anyway, munchkin?"

Ruby stomped the ground, "I'm fifteen, this is illegal! You have to be an adult to take the exam."

The soldier grabbed them both again, "Well, maybe those lazy Valeans should have taken the time to do this themselves. No idea why Doc Oz and his squad needed to head to the western front so fast. Well, we'll find out if you have the potential or not soon, so it's not my problem!~ Either you'll pass and become an adult in the eyes of the law or I'll never see you again and this will be the Doc's fallout to deal with."

Jaune let the man push him forwards, not willing to pick a fight with the soldier, "At least give me your name if you're going to manhandle me."

"Callows!~ Feel free to bitch to your teachers as much as you want. It won't change anything. This is our jurisdiction while we're here. Vale shouldn't have shipped out all their licensed examiners if they wanted things to work their way. Blame your shitty kingdom, not me," the bully of a soldier shoved them both in front of the giants.

"Hey, dumb and dumber! We have two kids ready to vomit their guts out in the sim pods. They even brought us drinks."

The female giant took a step forward, towering over Callows, "I advise you to keep your words to yourself Second Lieutenant."

Callows gave her a half-bow as he took the iced tea bottles from Jaune, "Of course, Second Lieutenant Rainhart."

He then looked towards the male giant and saluted him before shoving Jaune and Ruby towards him, "First Lieutenant Rainhart, two fresh catches!"

The giant glanced at both of them before pulling open the opaque flap, "You two, come with me."

Ruby nervously spoke, "Uh, I really shouldn't be here! I'm not a senior student."

The female giant reached out and set her hand on top of Ruby's head, "No children welcome responsibility. Try your best and stop hiding from the one duty you owe your homeland."

Ruby fidgeted, "I guess? I mean, it would be cool to get to be a pilot but my parents would be sooo mad."

"You must leave your nest someday. You have to fly free and not rot away as a nestling," the female giant smiled down at her as she ushered them through the flap behind the male giant.

Jaune looked around the now exposed hidden half of the gym. Eight simulation pods, four on each side of the room, filled the area alongside bulky looking generators of some kind. A blonde woman in a white lab coat sat at a folded desk typing away at a computer next to a printer.

She didn't look away from the computer as she spoke, "East pods two and three are ready for observation. Get them in immediately. There are one hundred and twenty students to account for during this synchronization period."

The male giant led them to the two pods on the eastern side of the room. He pushed in a few combinations on a keypad found on both machines before speaking, "I wish you the best and hope both of you fail this exam for your own sake. Please get in."

Ruby seemed resigned as she gave Jaune a small grin before getting into her pod. Jaune took one last deep breath before taking a seat in his own pod. The machine itself looked like something out of an arcade, except for the door to the pod sealing behind him with a hiss. The chair had two buckles he assumed he had to secure himself in with and a large faintly glowing screen facing him from an angle just in front of him.

He grabbed the two extended handles connected to the chair and buckled his right foot into some type of secured pedal cage. He took notice of a bunch of glowing buttons lining the handles as he gripped them. The similarity to one of the racing machines he tried out at the arcade in Vale city was striking.

'Maybe this might be fun?' He buckled himself in and leaned back into the chair with both his hands ready for any instruction.

He heard something moving just by his ears, letting him catch a glance of two strange black beams lowering just beside his head. A quiet hissing sound filled the pod as the two small rods with spherical tips extended out from the beams. Both rods extended out, touching his right and left temples.

A white series of messages flashed on the screen for a brief moment, "Subject secured. Ready for procedure. Please remain calm. Relax your body as much as possible."

A sudden jolt of pain caused Jaune to thrash against the two buckles as the rods did something to his head. He felt as if he was being electrocuted as he continued to grip the handles of the machine. He bit his lip raw as the jolting ended with one last painful zap.

He fought to catch his breath as blood trickled down his chin. He almost missed the screen, blinking another message.

"Subject Neurological Sequence completed. Proceeding with phase one examination."

The angled screen flashed for a moment before a bright light filled the pod. Disoriented between his pain and the sudden light, it took Jaune a few moments to notice the sudden change of scenery. The screen was no longer a series of messages, but was now what looked to be a display of a long dirt path surrounded by a forest.

On the top left of the screen was a large transparent mech subdivided into multiple green segments. A small box under the mech image was labeled "User Diagnostics." Several lines extended out from the image with labels showing the integrity of each component of the mechanical image. The top right had some type of digital map display while the bottom right looked to have some type of ammunition counter. Jaune was still looking at the different displays when the voice of a young girl filled the pod.

"Greetings, Candidate! Welcome to Basic Movement Training. Please turn your attention to the control sticks within your pod. Both control sticks contain buttons necessary for assisting platform movement. Currently, you should see a solid orange light on the upper end of both sticks. When both lights are solid orange, auto-piloting is engaged. Please press both buttons now to continue."

Jaune wiped his bloody lips against his left arm before pressing down on both orange buttons. Both buttons began to slowly flash orange. The display of the forest did not change as he waited for instruction.

"Well done! With auto-piloting disabled, the user can take direct control of the platform. Please push your foot forwards on the pedal. Begin by slowly pressing against the pedal until you feel confident in your ability to continue."

Jaune slowly began to push the pedal forward, causing the display to slowly move further along the path. The camera angle of the simulated display did not change. He continued to increase his forward pressure on the pedal. His speed increased substantially as the pod noticeably began to shake in tune with his momentum. As he reached the end of the dirt path, his movement suddenly locked up and the two flashing orange buttons turned solid.

"Excellent! Rest assured, if you are feeling ill your examiner will remove you as soon as possible. Please take the next minute to recover from any fatigue."

Jaune leaned further into the chair of the pod. He took the opportunity to let go of the controls in order to wipe his lips against the inner cloth of his t-shirt. His lips were causing him a lot of pain, but he wasn't experiencing any type of fatigue. The rest of his small break was spent looking at the multitude of other buttons on the control sticks.

After a while, the movement tutorial continued. The voice made him move backwards with the machine, to the left and right, and jump in place with the use of buttons before it seemed to be satisfied. It gave him one more break period before resuming.

"Congratulations on moving forward to Basic Visor Control! Only 45% of candidates make it to this part of the examination. Unlocking visor storage, please open the container underneath the simulation chair."

Jaune let go of one of the control sticks to reach under the chair. Where he had expected a gap to have been between the chair and floor, there was instead a drawer that had extended out from underneath the chair. He reached into the drawer and pulled out the blue lensed visor. The entire front of the visor was one lens without any gaps. A wire hung from the visor, seemingly plugged into something further within the drawer.

Unsure of what to do with the wire, he left it connected as he put the visor on his face. He had expected the color of the lens to mess with his vision, but the blue hue wasn't visible on the inside of the visor. He turned his head to look around his pod only to notice the display of the screen seemed to change based on the movement of his head.

"Camera movement confirmed. Well done! The platform will look in the same direction of the user. Please note the simulation pod does not allow for the same 360 degree camera control of a combat ready platform. The auto-piloting lock will be disabled, take this time to familiarize yourself with what you just learned."

Just as the voice advised, Jaune moved around the dirt path. The visor camera movement was awkward to get used to as he had to occasionally overly adjust where he was looking to get swift display changes. He used what he learned to sprint down the dirt path with full camera control. The forest looked too annoying to navigate to bother with on just a whim.

He did around two laps before the display went dark again and flashed with text, "Subject phase one completed. Proceeding with phase two examination."

The display refreshed into a new setting. A quick look around with his visor showed he was surrounded by ruined buildings covered in overgrown plants. The mech display in the top left also completely changed. It was now a much smaller design with four extra components marked on the "User Diagnostics." On the back legs of the displayed mech was something called Gravity Displacement Boosters. The torso of the mech also had two wing-like extensions on the back labeled Aerodynamic Supports.

"Greetings, Candidate! Welcome to Intermediate Movement Training. The following examination will include instruction on finely tuned movement. Your goal for this training exercise is to reach the top of the ruined tower to the south of your current location. You should already be familiar with jumping with your platform. Please look for the purple flashing buttons on the side of the control sticks just under the jump buttons."

"Upon pressing both buttons, the Gravity Displacement Boosters will be utilized upon executing a jump. Remaining gravity dust will be displayed as a percentage within the GDB components on the user diagnostic display. To execute a gravity boosted jump, please ensure both boost buttons are a solid purple before pressing down on both control stick jump buttons."

The two flashing purple buttons turned solid as he pressed down on them. He turned his mech around to look towards the ruined tower before pressing down on both jump buttons and the pedal. The mech lurched up and forward at incredible speeds. Jaune felt light headed as the machine remained airborne for around fifteen seconds before plummeting.

"Excellently done! Not every platform will be as graceful with aerial performance. You will need to chain together GDB assisted jumps to scale the tower. Please note the gravity boost system can also be utilized to rapidly dash in any direction. To do so, ensure both boost lights are solid before rapidly flicking the movement pedal twice in the direction you wish to dash."

Curiosity got the best of him. Jaune used the gravity boost to launch himself into the air again before immediately dashing to the right. He didn't expect the simulation pod to shake as much as it did.

"Woah!" He couldn't keep a smile off of his face as he continued to input more boosted jumps and dashes while in mid-air.

Childish glee took hold of him as memories of racing friends in the arcade took hold, 'This really does just feel like an arcade game.'

It only took him a handful of boosts to reach the top of the ruined tower. The screen slowly faded out as he looked at the view of the overgrown ruins around him. Text flashed across the screen once more.

"Subject phase two completed. Candidacy confirmed. Proceeding with final synchronization."

Complete darkness, all lights within the pod turned off as the message disappeared. Jaune kept his hands on the controls in case he suddenly needed to do something for the next test. His focus on where the screen was wavered as he heard mechanical hissing behind him once more. He couldn't see exactly what was happening behind him.

Intense pain in his lower back caused him to scream as he felt something puncture him. He felt a vaguely familiar pressure against his back. It took him only a few moments of pain and confusion to recognize the feeling as being somewhat familiar to how he felt when he last got a shot at the doctors.

Jaune held the controls of the pod tightly as the feeling of the pressure lingered for much longer than a simple shot. A minute or more must have passed before the pressure disappeared and something cold was pressed against the same spot. He felt dizzy as he sat there trying to regain his composure.

The dim light of the screen began to fill with text before the display suddenly turned bright green and the voice of the young girl from the tutorials returned, "Scanning… Checking against Valean records..."

"Candidate identified as Jaune Arc, aged 17. Am I correct?"

The terminal remained a solid green as the voice repeated itself three times.

"Uh, correct. Yeah, I'm Jaune," he finally understood he was supposed to talk aloud.

"Identity confirmed. Candidates require a synchronization rate of 25% to pass the examination. Calculating final results…"

Jaune's mouth felt dry as he waited for the voice to continue. His sister had only just passed with a 27%. She never told anyone how her test went as it was apparently against regulations. The examination was still a relatively new thing only established ten years ago, yet so little had been shared about it. He wasn't sure what the machine was scoring, but the fact everything went smoothly for him was concerning.

"Calculations complete. Congratulations, Cadet Arc! Your synchronization rate has been officially catalogued at an astounding 70%! May we strive for the safety of mankind together!"

The screen faded from the bright green to the dim display with white text, "Concluding examination. Please remain secured and seated until your monitor releases you."

His heart was beating rapidly as he processed the cursed words of the young girl's voice, "Fuck… I'm going to die."

Jaune was never sure exactly what he wanted to do in the future, but becoming a pilot was definitely not it. He was doomed to fight now. The combined Atlas Vale frontline to the west or the Vacuo Vale frontline to the southwest. One of those deployments would be his death, he just knew it with his luck.

Jaune remained seated in silence contemplating just how long it would take for him to end up in a ditch somewhere. At least he wasn't going to be ground infantry? Exosuits had certainly improved over the decades, but it didn't stop the death toll. They certainly did better than the hastily put together exoskeletons of the beginning Fracture period in his grandfather's time.

He heard the pod slowly hiss open. Light from the gymnasium trickled in as enough of the pod opened to allow him to see an individual staring directly at him. His gaze met blue eyes as the blonde woman in a lab coat stood at the side of his pod. She quietly watched him as he unbuckled himself from the pod.

"Please wait for me at my desk. We need to speak in a few moments," the woman's gaze lingered before she walked off to the pod next to him.

Jaune pulled himself out of his chair. He heard the pod next to him hiss as he reached underneath his shirt to feel his lower back. The area felt cold to the touch still. He reached up to touch his lips only to find his bottom lip swollen. His lip would need some time to heal. His checkup on himself was interrupted by the voice of Ruby.

"Whew! That was really really fun! I got 75%. Is that good?" Ruby was looking at the woman who had just been at his pod.

The blonde woman glanced between him and Ruby, "You both exceeded my expectations for what I would witness while here today. I wish to speak with you both at my desk while other students continue their examinations."

Jaune felt a little fatigued and Ruby seemed to be slightly slow on her feet when they moved over to the folded desk the woman had been typing at when they began the exam. The woman remained quiet for a while longer as she typed away. They both heard the sound of the printer next to the computer activate.

"Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose you two have both performed above and beyond what we require for the Mechanized Infantry. The Mechanized Infantry Draft Act requires both of you to perform a minimum of six years of military service. Due to your potential as pilots, you both will be granted the rank of Cadets. Upon completing your pilot training, you will be considered commissioned officers. Expect training for officer duties during your one year training period," the woman grabbed a few papers from the printer.

Ruby raised her hand before speaking, "Question. What did the scores mean?"

"Your potential," the woman seemed to have nothing more to say on the topic.

Jaune spoke up, "You already know our names from the test, right? What should we call you?"

"The simulation pods sent me both of your results upon completion alongside your personal information. I must apologize for the mixup resulting in you taking this exam, Cadet Rose. Allow me to introduce myself properly," she looked away from the printed documents to look towards both of them.

"I am Doctor Salem Ivellon of the Atlas Military Research Division. Normally, I would not be here to conduct this exam. However, fate seems to have granted us this meeting. You two must serve six years with the military. Yet, it does not necessarily have to be the Valean military."

Jaune and Ruby glanced at each other, both recognizing the last name of the woman. She gave them both a smile as her fingers tapped on the printed documents infront of her.

"These forms will allow you both to enlist in the Atlas military directly under my supervision. I am not naive enough to think either of you would do so without incentive. Let me make myself clear. I. Want. Both. Of. You," she tapped the forms with every word as she intently gazed at them.

Jaune glanced away from her, "U-uh, why would we do that? My sister is already enlisted with Vale."

"My Valean alternative will not offer the same resources I can grant you both with Atlas backing. Listen carefully, I shall grant you full customization rights to your platforms upon training completion. You will both also be guaranteed a position within my personal employ, meaning you can use experimental top of the line equipment."

Ruby's eyes sparked with excitement, "Full customization? Experimental equipment?"

Salem nodded, "A blank check for any and all personal projects you wish to undertake with your machines. All you have to do is sign your name on these documents. I have everything guaranteed in these contracts."

She divided the papers into two separate piles before sliding them in front of Ruby and him. She left a single pen right between them, "Do consider your choice carefully. You two have a bright future ahead of you, do not squander it."

Jaune looked down at the contract before meeting the gaze of Salem again, "Saphron Arc, she is a Second Lieutenant within the Vale Mechanized Infantry and my sister. My family and I haven't heard from her in four months now, which isn't normal for her. If you were able to pull up my details, can you pull up hers?"

Salem turned her attention towards her computer. She typed for a while before speaking, "Saphron Arc, medically discharged as of three months ago. Current residence is within Atlas alongside one Terra Cotta, honorably discharged after six years of service."

Jaune's hands went numb as a creeping dread filled him, "Medically discharged? Atlas Residence?"

Salem leaned back into her chair before speaking somberly, "I'm afraid any further personal information is classified for those outside of the Atlas military."

Jaune rubbed his eyes before reaching for the pen, "I guess I really don't have much of a choice if I want an answer now?"

"Afraid not. If you sign my document, you will officially be considered my responsibility until you reach your military instructor in Atlas. Such a privilege allows me to bypass the classification as you will technically be employed directly under me. I assure you, it will not be a mistake."

Jaune signed his name on the documents, "I don't have much to lose. Six years of service either way."

Salem smiled brightly, "Excellent choice. I would provide you with her medical information, but I do not have the time and this is not the place for it. For the time being, her contact details will have to do," she turned her attention to Ruby.

Ruby seemed to be fighting herself. Her hand kept reaching towards the pen only for her to pull it back. She repeated the display several times before resting it on the table, "I-I dunno what to do! What if Yang passes too? We might end up separated! Atlas is so far away too."

"Yang is your sister, I presume? We have not tested her candidacy yet, rest assured I will grant her the same offer should she have a similar potential. In the eyes of the law, you are now considered an emancipated minor due to your successful completion of the MSCE. Any decision you make should be made with your best interests at heart."

Ruby bit her lip before asking a single question, "Blank check?"

Salem reached out and placed her hand on top of Ruby's, "Blank check. Once you finish your training, you can request anything from me regarding your platform. If you wish to build a mech from the ground up to suit your tastes, we will do so."

Ruby turned towards Jaune, "Jaune… it's okay right? I want to be selfish this one time. Yang, Mom, Mama, and Dad will understand…"

"It's a generous offer. Way too generous. I'm not dumb enough to not see something is going on here. It's up to you, Ruby. Trust your gut and pick what you think is right."

Ruby's hand shook as she picked up the pen and signed her name on the documents. She dropped it on the table silently.

"Excellent decision, both of you. I officially welcome you to the Atlesian Military as Cadets. As with all recruits, you have a two week grace period before reporting to your designated training facility. Luckily for both of you, I wish for you both to train within my domain. Please report to Atlas Military Academy within the next fourteen days. I shall message your scrolls daily to remind you until I see you there with my own eyes."

Salem grabbed the signed papers before scanning them on the printer. The printer activated again, creating signed copies of the forms, "Keep these signed copies for your personal records. The official documents will remain with me for submission. I advise you both to report to the school nurse's office for a checkup. I look forward to seeing you both in Atlas. Cadet Jaune, I shall send you the contact information for your sister to your scroll within the hour. Dismissed."

Jaune and Ruby grabbed their copies before wandering towards the back of the room to the locker room entrance. Jaune waited in silence as Ruby ran in to get her stuff. She came out with her backpack hastily stuffed with clothes peeking out from the top. She still kept on her Pumpkin Pete's outfit. The two walked back past the pods and to the flap to the other side of the gym.

The female giant gave them both a smile and a wave as she moved the flap aside, "I heard the three of you. So the nestlings fly free after all. I look forward to helping you both improve. You both look as if a stiff breeze will knock you over. Ask for Gretchen Rainhart and one of the grunts should bring you my way at the academy. You'll need to shape up, trust me."

Both Ruby and Jaune stiffly nodded at the woman towering over them in height. Ruby swiftly spoke, "Yes, mom! I mean ma'am!"

Gretchen placed her hand on Ruby's head, patting it, "You two are adorable. I'll set up a training regime and get you both on a proper training diet."

"Thank you ma'am! We'll need all the help we can get. I don't really know a lot about the military," Jaune was confident he absolutely had no idea what he was doing.

"Go get your lip checked, boy. As for you, don't think you can hide those scratches on your legs, missy. I know the pod can be intense, so go get those checked on."

She ushered them both forward and passed the flap. Ruby and Jaune immediately saw a large gathering of students in the hall chatting amongst each other with only the rude Callows soldier from earlier making rounds in the gym. He walked up to two students and tapped their shoulders before dragging them towards the flap. It seemed he was picking students at random.

"Ruby?!" Yang rushed over from the corner of the gym.

"Ruby! What were you doing back there?" Yang looked extremely agitated as she crossed her arms.

Ruby was about to respond when whistling interrupted her, "Wow, didn't expect little Rubes to go behind the curtains with Jauney boy. You lure her with candy or something? By the way, you look like hell and forgot to get my tea," Cardin looked on edge despite his words.

"Uhhh…" Ruby's head swiveled between both Yang and Cardin before she nodded to herself.

"Right… Gottagobye!" Ruby shoved Jaune towards both of them before sprinting right by all three of them.

"Ruby, you damn traitor!" Jaune looked at her retreating figure in desperation as doom approached.

"Oh Jaune~! I think I need a proper explanation. Don't. You. Think," Yang locked her arm with his as her lilac eyes promised a grizzly end.

Cardin laughed, "They grow up so fast. Should I bring the shotgun to the wedding?"

"Shut the fuck up, Cardin!" Yang pulled Jaune towards the side of the gymnasium as Cardin strolled along.

Away from the crowded center of the room, Yang let go of Jaune's arm before standing directly in front of him with her arms crossed.

"Look, I'm a very reasonable person. I'm not dumb enough to think some scrawny kid like you would do anything sketchy to my sister. So work with me here and tell me the truth. Why was Ruby in the exam area? It's supposed to be off limits, unless one of the soldiers drags you over for the test," her previous spark of rage seemed to simmer into concern.

Jaune couldn't meet her gaze, instead looking down at his own feet, "Uh… You sort of answered your own question. Ruby forgot some stuff in her locker and had to run by here to get it. The Faunus soldier spotted me and dragged us both back there. They um, may have sort of given Ruby the test?"

"What?! What do you mean they gave Ruby the exam? Isn't that totally illegal or something? Man, Dad's going to be pissed. At least Ruby is done with it now and won't have to take it again when she's a senior."

He was one with the floor as the pit in his stomach grew even deeper, "Yeah… She definitely won't have to take it again."

Cardin came over and placed his hand on Jaune's shoulder, "Got any advice for us since you've already bombed it, Jauney boy?"

Jaune slowly lifted his head, "I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to say. I guess I can warn you that it can hurt a lot. See my lip? The simulation pod does something when you're in it. Ruby scratched up her leg when she was in it. I, uh, passed the exam."

Cardin and Yang's faces both paled as Cardin responded, "Well, fuck. Good luck out there, dude. Tell you what, if you're still alive after six years, we'll go get beers or some shit."

Yang was frowning, "Is that why Ruby was in such a hurry? She's going to go see the nurse right? You should go there too. Check on her for me?"

Jaune nodded, "Sounds fine with me, Cardin. That's if you don't pass too, at least. Yeah, I planned on stopping at the nurse. I was going to go with Ruby, before you guys showed up."

Jaune absently rubbed at his lip before he took a step away from both of them. He paused to look back at them, "Hey, Yang. What do you think of Atlas?"

"Cold weather and cold people. I mean, you've already seen how rude those soldiers are here. My Uncle sometimes does business there too. He hasn't had good things to say about his time there. Why'd you ask? Worried about having to fight beside them someday?"

"I suppose. I guess you should both think about the possibility too. So weird that Atlas is now our closest military ally. Vale and Atlas were at war right before the Fracture. Now our Kingdoms are practically married together. Your army is my army type of deal."

Cardin laughed, "Holy shit, you actually picked something up in history? You used history as your personal napping period. Atlas beats being allied with that cluster fuck, Vacuo. Hell, it even beats dealing with Mistral and their weird alliance with those beasts in that jungle shithole they call Menagerie."

"It's not my fault our history teacher is boring. I just study on my own for the tests. Anyways, I should go get my lip checked out. Good luck to you two, I hope neither of you pass the exam."

"Good luck, Jaune. Tell Ruby to send me a scroll message when she gets a chance. Oh, ask her for my scroll number too. You'll probably go crazy without a pen pal," Yang gave him a small wave.

"Take care, Jaune. You should still have my scroll number, right? I think you had to send me some stuff last time I got sick. I know I give you a lot of shit, but feel free to message me if you want to chat or just want to know what's up," Cardin gave him a grin.

"I'll keep you both in mind. I'm not sure how good the scroll connection is out on the frontlines if I get sent out there. I have a year of training to do before I find that out. I don't think I'll be getting out of the front though. I'll try to take some cool pictures or something."

Jaune walked away from both of them. He knew Yang would be livid once she realized the truth behind Ruby's situation. He could have told her, but it would have just made things worse. Knowing Yang, she would have flipped out and tried to leave the gym to go to Ruby. No, it was better to omit the truth. Let her fail the exam and deal with Ruby's situation later. At least, it's the only outcome he could hope for.

As he left the gym, the bell for the second lunch period rang. The freshmen and junior lunch rush was bound to fill the halls soon. It also meant his sister, Lilly, would be on her way to the cafeteria. He wasn't in the mood for breaking the news to her now. Jaune just wanted to get to the nurse as soon as possible. It would also be nice to get Saphron's details from the scroll message Dr. Ivellon promised.

Jaune was able to squeeze through the hallway rush to make his way to the nurse's office. Thankfully, he didn't run into Lilly on his way there. He spotted Ruby lounging on one of the beds in the office. Her leg was bandaged up and she seemed to be distracted with one of the lollipops the nurse had a tendency to hand out.

Before he could say anything to her, the old nurse dragged him over, "My, you really bit your lip. It's already swelling, you poor thing. Let's wash it with some cold water and apply a nice cool bag of ice to it. You're going to want to avoid salty foods for a little while."

She dragged him over to the free bed right next to Ruby before getting to work. His lip was washed and the ice pack was applied before the nurse left him alone. Jaune glared at Ruby as he held the ice pack against his bottom lip. She was completely avoiding his gaze as she continued to eat her lollipop.

"Ruby, Yang's going to be pissed at you. She also wants you to send her a message and give me her scroll number," he pushed the ice pack back on his lip when he finished speaking.

"I know! I'm not looking forward to it. It's going to suuuuck a lot. Everyone's going to get mad and then they'll yell. Dad's going to be dad and do something to embarrass me, I just know it. Here, I'll give you Yang's number and my number."

Jaune pulled out his scroll and filled in the contact information for both of them, "Thanks, Yang and Cardin said they want me to message them during training. I don't think my family is going to be thrilled either. My Mom freaked out when Saphron got drafted and only calmed down when Violet and the twins failed their exam. I think she was hoping it would be a sign the rest of us would get lucky."

"Jeeze, how big is your family anyways? I thought my family was pretty big with Dad, Mom, Mama, Yang, and me."

Jaune pulled the ice pack down again, "There's me, Dad, Mom, and my seven sisters."

"Seven?! Sounds like a nightmare for getting ready in the morning. Yang already takes so long, I can't imagine if my house had six more Yang's to deal with," Ruby grimaced.

"It's not that bad. My grandfather had enough influence to get a decent piece of land when my family fled here around a century ago. Our house is decent enough for it to have never been a big issue. Oh, the twins and Saphron not living with us anymore helped out the situation a ton. Guess it will be even easier without me around in the morning too."

"My family did alright when my Mom's family came here. We weren't anyone special as far as I know. I'm actually wondering how my parents will act with me out of the house. I might just come home to a sibling or two knowing how lonely my Mom might get," Ruby sat up from the nurse's bed.

Jaune laughed, "I don't think I'll be expecting any. I think Mom and Dad are happy with eight kids total, a nice even number that is not at all an insane amount."

"Not at all. A perfectly normal amount of kids!" Ruby laughed as she stood from the bed.

Ruby stopped in front of Jaune, "Hey, I plan to go home early today. We don't really have to stick around school now that we're drafted. You should go home early today too. I think I want to break the news to my Mom before Dad or Mama learn what happened. She should be home by now."

Jaune grimaced as he sat up, "Good point. My Mom should be home around now too for lunch. I don't know if I'll tell them all right away. I'm thinking about waiting until the last moment."

Ruby shook her head, "Don't do that. They might want to do something special with you before you go. Remember, we have to train for a whole year in Atlas before we end up who knows where. Even if my parents get mad or sad, I think it's worth telling them so we can spend the time together before I leave."

"Thanks, Ruby. I'll consider it. We should look into getting tickets to Atlas sooner rather than later. When the doctor sends me my sister's information, I'll ask her if she can get us tickets so we won't have to buy any. She did say she was responsible for us until we got to training."

"Alrighty, keep me updated then. I'm going to run now. I avoided Yang, but there's no way I can avoid Mom. She can see through me waaay too easily."