Quick note: Sorry for the delay, my brain refuses to let me focus on any of my stories right now. And I suppose that my recent gallbladder surgery doesn't help much (but the paaaaaainkilleeeeeeers… wheeeee!)
I'm fine, by the way. :)
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The dreams were never the same twice, but they always featured the same characters – a girl with cat ears, a busty blonde, and a rich girl. She always knew them in the dream, but could never remember their names when it was over.
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Each dream featured a day or two in their lives, each journey a trip down a lane of memories that did not belong to her. Faces she recognized, but didn't know. Names that hovered just out of reach.
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At times her dreams returned to that strange place where they spoke another language. She saw the same characters in different roles, along with a few new ones. The dead regent, the tall one-eyed stranger… people who stirred a new feeling within her. A feeling of coming dread.
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Most of the time, however, she was at that school for warriors. Events played out there that carried a weight of importance. Things that she felt she did not deserve to witness. Love… loss… and battles that shaped worlds.
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And every morning, without fail, the same words escaped her lips whenever she awoke…
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"I am Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY… and I will remember…"
Prim slowly pulled herself upright in bed, once again awake a full hour before the alarm. "The hell… again?" she muttered as she glared at the treacherous numbers. She rubbed her forehead with one hand while adjusting the sheets with the other, irritated at her constant state of fatigue.
Ever since that first dream of Ruby Rose almost a month ago, Prim had been feeling less and less like herself.
And the poor sleeping habits were just one part of that – as time marched on, Prim had constantly found herself with sore muscles and aching joints that had nothing to do with the training she took part in during the day – that work was nowhere near hard enough to cause soreness. There was no way to tell what was happening to her, and the academy medics were also at a loss. All they could do was perscribe sleep aids, which only made things worse.
There was also her new and rampant emotional outbursts – Prim was normally a very reserved and introverted young girl, but ever since her dreams of Ruby Rose had started… well, things were changing. She would yelp out loud with surprise if something startled her (which she never used to do) and would find herself getting over-excited over the most mundane things.
At this point, Prim's only saving grace was the fact that none of these issues were affecting her training in a negative way. Yet.
"Numm… mhm…" Val mumbled in her sleep, turning over once on the adjacent bed. Prim glanced over at her and wondered how long it would be before the taller girl got herself up – Val was the one who was supposed to beat the alarm in the mornings, not her. It wasn't fair.
Moving slowly, Prim climbed out of bed and made her way to the desk where her journal lay waiting. Ever since she told Doctor Noah about her dreams a few days after they started, the older man suggested keeping a journal that detailed everything she could remember about them each time she had one. It was almost full already.
Using the small desk lamp, Prim now entered the details of her latest vision:
"Dreamed again – this time I was in a large forest of red leaves. Rich Girl was there, along with a new face, a girl with long, bright-red hair. We watched a blonde boy fight a big bear-monster and kill it with a sword. There was something about magnetism and keeping a secret, but I don't remember everything I heard. The event was short, but it seemed to be really important for some reason."
After a moment of thought, Prim's pen seemed to move on it's own as she added a few final words.
"Also, the boy's name is Jaune."
She blinked at those words. Even with what she did remember from the dream, there was no mention of his or any name. Why did she know it? And where did that thought even come from?
What the hell was happening to her?
Sighing deeply, Primrose switched off the desk lamp and sat back in her chair in the darkness of her shared room. So many questions… but Val was starting to wake up, so no more time to dwell on them. The day had to start eventually.
The Captian was going to give them all some kind of big announcement today, and Prim wanted to make sure she was good and ready. Neither trainee spoke to each other this time, as Val also had this in mind as she prepared herself. They each got dressed and headed to breakfast together in companionable silence.
Prim really didn't want to admit it, but she was also looking forward to the meal… because they served strawberries every day.
And she never used to like strawberries.
Truly strange.
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Chapter 34:
Sojourn – Book 2
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Titan Dream
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The Lunar Academy was not actually based on the moon as it's name would suggest, but in a geostationary orbit around it. Each major part of the station was connected to the others by wide tubes that allowed quick and easy transport between them. Dormitories had their own unit, as well as general training, mechanical training, and the actual hangers for the vehicles. Around the outside of the facilities was a massive course designed to help them learn to pilot their vehicles more efficiently.
The mission of the Academy was to train the next generation of pilots for the Titans, which was the proper name for their vehicles. Prim never cared about names. In fact, she didn't care much for the clunky things to begin with. They were fighting machines, and she hated fighting.
A Titan was a simple machine in design, yet surprisingly complex with it's technology. Every student of the academy was required to not only know the ins and outs of all those systems, but also to know their own personal vehicle's inner workings better than anyone. Prim happened to be good with machines, so that wasn't a hard thing to figure out. She had her own machine figured out within the first week and spent much of her free time helping the other trainees figure theirs out.
However, only a month after beginning her training, Prim and the others were given a shock – a new model Titan was being brought in, and one of them was going to be in charge of it. This was the big announcement they had been waiting for.
And every single person present during that announcement was thoroughly surprised to see Prim's hand shoot up to volunteer… Prim herself included, as her hand had moved on it's own. And she couldn't pull it back down.
Shit. So much for 'no negative impact.'
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"Hey, Prim?"
"…Hmm?"
"I've been doing some research, and I think I have some answers for you. The soreness you mentioned? I think I know where it's coming from now."
"… … …I'm listening, Val."
"Well, after you mentioned it the first time I decided to try staying awake through the night to keep an eye on you… and it payed off. You're kind of a sleepwalker."
"Sleep… walker?"
"Not only that, but after you stood up out of bed you started going through these… weird martial-arts looking routines. They looked familiar, like from a Kung-Fu movie, so I took the liberty of looking up what kind of style it might have been. Here's what I found."
"… … …How do you even pronounce that name?"
"Beats me, but it looks Chinese. Based on what I saw, every move you made was a perfect match to this style. It was almost like you had studied it in a past life or something…"
"… … … … … …My God…"
"Prim? You okay?"
"Is Doctor Noah awake right now? I think I need to talk to him again…"
"He should still be up, but probably not much longer. We've all got a big day ahead of us tomorrow, you know… you most of all, Miss Pilot-of-the-New-Machine. Why'd you volunteer, anyway?"
"I didn't want to, I'll have you know… I feel like I'm starting to lose my mind."
"Ah, Space Fever. I've heard that can happen to some people who stay out of the colonies too long. Something to do with electronic gravity systems versus the more natural artifical ones back home."
"I hope to God that's all it is."
"Well, make that call then get some rest, I'm going to bed. Good night, Prim."
"Night, Val."
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The standard model Titans used for training were no different to the ones used in the field, except that they had no weapons (A few mock rifles were available for use in the training runs, but none fired live ammunition). The overall frame was blocky and not very shapely, mainly for practicality over aesthetics. Also for ease of repairs – the quicker the pilots could reach a problem area, the quicker they could get their Titans back up and running.
This new model was an entirely different beast.
Redesigned from the ground up, the Mark-17 more closely resembled the old giant robot cartoons Prim used to watch as a kid – in a word, it looked cool. The main feature was an experimental gravity-control unit mounted to the thing's back, shaped like a massive ring that appeared to encircle the head unit of the machine itself, almost like a vertical halo. According to the engineers, this ring glowed faintly in the unit's flight mode. It also featured twin arm-mounted curved blades in a similar style to the ring, but used in melee combat.
Even though it was just a prototype unit, Prim was still given the technical manual and a very, very thorough debreifing on everything she was to expect from using it… and this is where she learned the single biggest difference between the Mark-17 and every other Titan so far.
The old Titans were piloted by a person sitting in a chair and moving levers and buttons while looking at screens.
The Mark-17 used a brand-new interface that directly connected the pilot's body to the motions of the machine. As the pilot moved, the Mark-17 emulated. This was to allow far better control in the heat of combat.
In short, the pilot was the literal brain of the Titan.
Many months followed in which Prim was inside the Mark-17 longer than she was out of it. The captain and other officers of the academy were unsure about how well she would fare at first, but they soon gave her their full support. Prim soon became something of a celebrity in the academy. At her insistence, the unit was given a gaudy red-and-black paint job (which she hoped would make it look too ugly to like – unfortunately, this just made it even more popular).
When asked if she would give it a nickname, Prim opened her mouth to say 'no' …but the words 'Crescent Rose' popped out instead. Everyone loved the name, including her Captain and the Admiral.
Everyone but herself, that is. Prim was quickly off to see the Doctor. This was getting out of hand, and she knew it wouldn't be long before these issues came back to bite her in the ass.
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"Miss Prim, how are you feeling today?"
"Other than losing my marbles? No real change, Doctor."
"That's… good, I suppose. It seems like your body is managing to adjust to the new Titan motor systems without issue. The higher-ups have great expectations for this Crescent Rose of yours."
"What about… the other thing? Do I really have Space Fever?"
"I can safely say 'no' to Space Fever."
"Then… what's wrong with me?"
"Miss Prim, I honestly don't know. After taking various scans of your brain activity, I found something very small, an anomoly if you will. That's why I had you come in last night and have another scan while you slept."
"…And?"
"Your subconcious brain waves have been shifting… if I may be so bold as to use a few un-scientific words, you become another person while you're asleep."
"…!"
"And that other person had no interest in sleep during the test. I know… because I spoke with her."
"…Did she call herself Ruby Rose?"
"… … …Yes."
"Shiiiiiiiiit. Just like from my dreams…"
"I'd like to run these scans more often, if you're alright with coming in here at least once a week for a proper sleep test. You say she appears in your dreams, but nowhere else?"
"Sometimes I'm not so sure…"
"What do you mean?"
"Ever since these dreams started, I've noticed moments where my body acts without my permission… like when I volunteered to pilot the Mark-17."
"You think it might be her? Ruby Rose?"
"God, I hope not…"
"This could be serious, then. Normally I would pull you from training to get this worked out, but then Admiral Ray would be up my ass about keeping the famous Primrose away from her toy. All I can recommend is that you do everything in your power to maintain control of yourself… especially while you're piloting Crescent Rose."
"Because if Ruby Rose should force me to move while I'm connected…"
"…There could be big trouble."
"Understood. Thank you, Doctor Noah."
"I'll see if Captain Bidan can work out a short break for you soon. Take care of yourself, Primrose."
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It was here that Prim had an idea: if this Ruby Rose person was stuck in her head, could there by a way for them to …talk? Or communicate in some form? It might not get the intruder to leave, but if nothing else, it would be good to get some form of cooperation from the stranger. If she was capable of taking control of Prim's body every so often, then it was paramount that the young trainee put a stop to it.
The problem was that if Ruby Rose only existed while Prim was asleep, then she would have to leave a message behind – so the answer was simple.
Prim just had to write a letter.
And so, one week after learning for certain that a dream girl called Ruby Rose lived in her head, Primrose wrote a letter and left it on her desk overnight:
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'To Ruby Rose,
'I have no idea how much you know about me, but I have no real idea who you are (other than the little I can recal from those dreams) nor why you are in my head. If you happen to be stuck with me by accident, then I'm sorry… but if you're here intentionally, then I'll have to ask you to leave. My future and the future of my entire colony depends on me finishing my training, and your interference is putting everything in jeopardy.
'If you happen to be a ghost… then is there anything I can do to help you pass on? Any unfinished business I can help you complete?
'Sorry… I really don't know what else to say, here. I've never had another person stuck in my head before.
'-Primrose'
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The next morning, Prim found a second letter sitting next to hers… and the handwriting on it was neither her own, nor Val's (that one had a hard time writing anything legible).
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'To Primrose,
'Hey, neat idea! I hadn't thought of writing letters like this!
'I'm sorry to break it to you, but I don't know why I'm here any more than you do. And you mentioned dreams, so I guess that means we're in the same boat – I'm awake while you're asleep, and when I dream, I see your memories. At least, I think that's what they are. I'm not a ghost, but… man, I wish I could tell you more, but I don't even know everything.
'Now, I'll be perfectly honest… if I AM taking control of your body, then I have no idea I'm doing it. All I know between my dreams and waking up as you in the middle of the night is that occasionally I see what you see during the day, and sometimes I end up reacting during those events – if that reaction carries over, then I am so, so sorry!
'Also… it may be too soon, but… if there's ANY way you could, I dunno… let me try out that awesome robot-thingy… that would be BEYOND cool! We switch when you fall asleep, right?
'-Ruby Rose
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At that last line, Prim could only scoff. Dream on, Ruby Rose.
Still, this was a promising start. After thinking she was being genuinely haunted, it turns out Ruby Rose is just a scared and confused girl who has no idea where she is. This could turn out alright. Was it strange to think that the two of them might even become… friends?
Doctor Noah was quickly informed of their exchange and immedietly encouraged her to continue these letters… but also to keep them out of sight. Anything that could call Prim's mental health into question would be rather dangerous to leave lying around.
In the weeks that followed, Prim's demeanor improved considerably – her soreness slowly began to recede (since Ruby agreed to cut down on the late night practices), her mood lifted, and even Val noted how much better she seemed to be feeling.
Yet every morning still found Prim awakening with those same words on her lips…
'I am Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY, and I will remember.'
But now she understood a little better where that came from.
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"Run that by me again, lieutenant…?"
"Sir, we… we have detected an unidentified craft approaching from the orbit of Neptune and moving at a very high velocity. We estimate that it will reach our location in approximately one year."
"One year? From Neptune?"
"Are you certain it's a craft? Could it be a meteor?"
"No sir, all of our scanners detected an active propulsion system. Whatever it is, it's heading right for us."
"Thank you, lieutenant. Dismissed."
"Sir."
"That was… sooner than I anticipated."
"Well, Admiral? Do you think it's hostile?"
"You all know I have no choice but to consider it a threat. The safety and security of the human race is at stake. We stand on the edge of the abyss, and my fleet is the only shield to keep us alive."
"Assuming we delay public access to this news for as long as possible, I think our best course of action would be to continue gathering our forces as normal for the first six months, then spend the next six putting together a more organized response."
"I agree. One year is plenty of time."
"And if …they suddenly decide to pick up the pace? What then?"
"We'll address that issue if it comes up, Captain."
"With all due respect, I think I'll work on my own contingency plan… I know of no rules or laws against that, do you?"
"I suppose not… but there's really no need."
"I'll be the judge of that. Good day, gentlemen."
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[ Continued in Next Chapter ]
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A/N: Okay, so… uh… words. Painkillers. Whee.
As much as I'd like to pull this one off in only two parts, it'll likely stretch to three. I still don't have a solid idea of what to do with this one yet, so hold tight… we're in this together. This one might end up feeling a bit rushed, but that's only because I want to get to the next intermission chapter soon – big things are afoot.
*voice at the door* "Are you on the Happy Pills again?"
*me* KHAJIIT STOLE NOTHING! KHAJIIT IS INNOCENT OF THIS CRIME!
=^w^=