Okay... two scares since last time I uploaded. The first was that my beast of a computer wouldn't start for a couple days. Turns out it was just too cold to start. Who'd have thought a Minnesotan unfinished basement in the winter would be cold? The bigger one, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I don't know how, but she got into surgery the following (last) Friday. Sounds like everything went well, but we'll learn more in a couple weeks.
Enough of that. Onto why you're here.
Ruby walked through the door marked armory/hangar and looked around. The space was huge. A single transport took up space in the hangar. It had twin VTOL engines and tails coming off the crew compartment. The Skyranger wasn't exactly pretty to look at, with rust covering parts and metal plates missing, but it obviously could fly. A few people gathered around it, checking the straps. The Avenger's takeoff… wasn't the smoothest. They were probably checking to make sure everything was still attached. There wasn't room in the hangar for a second transport. Where was the recovery team's?
The Rider turned her head to look at the space around her. She stood in the armory which filled the entire space before the hangar. Few guns were in lockers, no quartermaster stood anywhere… these people were really low on manpower.
Ruby shook her head and walked toward where she saw snipers. She looked over them with a critical eye. Three of the seven had different paint jobs rather than the tan of the other four. Ruby grabbed one of the unclaimed guns and looked it over. It wasn't anything special. Standard issue, 5x scope, heavier than it looked… then again, that last part probably had to do with the fact she couldn't access her Aura. She brought her new gun up and looked down the scope. It looked properly aligned, but she wouldn't know until after she shot. She'd go this mission without her targeting aid, get a feel for the gun, then go the rest of the way with a reticle in her bionic eye.
She looked down at herself. On Ruby's second day onboard, Invidia gave Ruby a set of red and black XCOM fatigues. Those wouldn't do anything to protect her from gunshots. Ruby searched the area for an armor station and found it on the wall right next to the hangar proper. As she took a few steps toward that, the Avenger lurched, sending Ruby off balance. She swore under her breath. Whoever was flying this thing…
The ship's intercom chirped for attention. "The following operatives will report to the hangar," a voice Ruby kind of recognized started, "Corporal Rayla, Sergeant Rex, Squaddies Anderson, Rose, and Dallaire. Your equipment for this mission is being sent to your datapads." Ruby rolled her eyes. She didn't get one of those. Probably because she was so new, but still. Who sent their soldiers out under-equipped? Then again, she wasn't used to fighting like a guerilla. Even when fighting the war in Alagaësia, she had all the supplies she needed in the Bullheads or on Cerise' saddle… Ruby clenched her eyes as she thought of her dragon. It was going to be so hard fighting without her soulmate in her head.
As soon as she straightened herself out, Ruby started looking through the available armor. It was all simple Kevlar like SWAT teams, nothing plated like the military or the Riders. Ruby grimaced at the low-tech protection, but it was better than nothing. She searched around for vests and other pads that were her size. All four of them were already in full armor. That was common practice with Huntsmen and the Riders, not the military. At least that was familiar.
Ruby spent about an hour picking out armor and tying it to herself. When she was done, she looked herself over and tried to go through her full range of motion. The armor was heavier than she was used to and slowed her down but she could still move in the ways she needed to. She wasn't sure how she felt about the bodycam being on the left side of her chest plate. It wasn't big enough to be in the center and cover the XCOM logo on the right side.
Believing she wouldn't get any better armor with what was available, Ruby grabbed her new rifle and walked over to the squad she was at least temporarily assigned to. It looked like the other four were talking to each other. Rex was still in the white and blue plastic-like armor he had on the mission Ruby was rescued. The major differences in the rest came from colors or whether or not they had sleeves. Rayla's armor had blue padding and a black underlay. Her bare arms and hands twin swords, with the blades' scabbards hung in an 'X' on the elf's back. Another of the soldiers wore what looked like standard wilderness camouflage on his armor. An assault rifle was strapped to his back and a blocky robot with four glowing struts flew behind him. The last soldier wore a red beret with her armor being red and blue. A similarly colored shotgun leaned against her legs and a ballistic shield lay on the ground beside her.
Rex craned his helmeted head and looked at Ruby. "You all set, shiny?"
"I've got my rifle and armor." Ruby raised her gun for emphasis. "Anything else I should have before going out?"
Rex didn't move or say anything. Then again, he didn't need to in order to move his eyes. "The commander wants you with a sword and a frag." He pointed at a rack on the wall with the sniper case.
"A sniper with a sword?" 'Dallaire' said, if the patch on her chest plate was to be believed. "What kind of sniper has a sword?" She had an accent similar to the area around Armen.
"The kind that's used to firing on the move and in close quarters." Ruby walked past the group and toward the rack of swords. She grimaced at the extensive yet poor collection. Most of these blades were Great War quality. Jaune's when he started at Beacon was stronger than any of these. It didn't help that they were all single-bladed and Ruby was used to two on Máni Bláto. She picked up a katana and looked it over. It was a little lighter than she expected and the edge could cut through an unarmored Grimm. It would do. She picked up the corresponding back-mounted scabbard and slotted the weapon in. Ruby then looked around for the grenades and found a crate full of them. At least these were all separated in their own little boxes. From the state of everything else on the Avenger, that wasn't a guarantee. Ruby clipped that to the belt she picked up with her armor then walked back toward the squad.
The doors to the hangar opened and a woman in a flight suit walked in. Her eyes focused on Ruby and she scowled. "Hey, new girl!" She marched up to the Rider with fists clenched. The name Firebrand laid on a patch on her chest. "You made a mess of my floor!" She forcefully poked Ruby's chest. "If the Commander and Central didn't have you confined to quarters, I would have had you clean the mess you made with a toothbrush. I had to clean it up which took away time from repairing things that really matter. Next time there's a scuff anywhere on the Skyranger, you're cleaning it up." She turned around and marched toward the Skyranger.
Ruby dropped her jaw as she stared after the pilot. "Excuse me?"
"Rule twelve!" Firebrand didn't slow down and only turned her head toward Rex. "The Commander wants you all in seats for the descent. We only have three hours before those nukes are shipped out."
Rex nodded and faced the squad. "You heard the lady, load up." He turned on a heel and marched into the transport. The others walked in after him. Ruby shook her head and followed the squad. She stepped onto the ramp and took the seat on her right closest to the exit ramp. As soon as she sat down, the ramp closed and hissed as it sealed. Ruby looked up and the roller coaster-like restraints. She unlocked it, pulled it down, and locked it in place again.
"You've done this before," Rex said. It wasn't a question
Ruby faced the squad leader. Rex stood by the entrance to the cockpit. "Many times, Rex. If you've been in one military transport, you've been in them all."
"On mission, you will address me as Sergeant or Sir." Rex turned around and opened a hatch in the bulkhead separating the crew compartment from the cockpit. He pulled out what looked like over the ear comm pieces and started handing them out. "The frequency is already set," he said when he handed Ruby hers. "Don't touch it."
"Yes, sir." Ruby took it and fit it over her right ear. It felt a little weird with something on her ear instead of the functionality being incorporated into her helmet, but it would do.
"Attention all hands," Central's voice came over the Skyranger's speakers, "we are beginning descent in ten, nine…" The countdown continued until it hit zero and Ruby felt herself falling. It was much more extreme compared to when she felt it before, probably because they were in a hurry. Still, it took quite a long time for the Avenger to descend. When it finally touched down, it wasn't a minute later until the Skyranger started rising. Considering the engines started after that, it was the elevator the craft rested on.
"This is Firebrand, we're ready for takeoff. Keep the engine running, Avenger. We may need to get out of here in a hurry."
"Copy that, Firebrand," Central responded. "Recovery team will be right behind you."
Ruby felt herself get pressed into her seat as the Skyranger lifted off. She was on her first mission with people she didn't know. She didn't know if she could trust them, and some of these people didn't like her. At least she'd be able to see if what Invidia said about these people was true.
As she turned her head around the crew compartment, her eyes lingered on Anderson's weapon. Unlike the other three, he and Dallaire held their weapons. While Dallaire was just cleaning her shotgun, Anderson laid his rifle across his lap with the muzzle facing the door... only a few degrees away from Ruby. That in itself was dangerous enough, but the safety was off. One of Anderson's fingers rested right outside the trigger guard. Ruby wanted to believe that was carelessness so she turned her head away. A few seconds later, she felt eyes on her. She flicked her own to Anderson in time to see him look away. That told Ruby how much she was trusted around there.
"It's so nice to have another elf here," a voice said. Ruby faced its owner, Rayla. The horned elf had an almost childlike smile on her face. Her accent sounded… Animan, not like Scarlet… heck, there was a different accent for almost every village on that continent. "Invidia's nice, but she's not a fighter… I mean, judging by your number of fingers we're not from the same world, but we still share blood." She blinked and turned her head away. "No, wait, that's not how that works."
"Sorry to burst your bubble," Ruby started, "but I'm human." Rayla snapped her head up with her jaw clamped shut. "It's just magic from my dragon." Someone else in the Skyranger scoffed.
"Dragon?" Rayla rose then leaned forward in her restraints. "Humans and dragons get along well where you're from?"
"For the most part, yeah." Ruby nodded. "Their relation isstill better with the elves, mainly because they've been around each other longer." She didn't need or want to go into the magical reasons.
"Oh… Well…" Rayla rubbed the back of her head. "Similar story here, only the dragons and elves cast out the humans for dark magic, the humans killed the King of the Dragons and kidnapped his son." Ruby blinked. That didn't sound good. "Then I helped return the Dragon Prince to his mother with the help of a few humans and now things are getting better for everyone... At least I think so. I was taken here shortly after the celebration in Katolis."
"Believe it or not," Ruby started, "I've experienced crazier."
"Cut the chatter, Menace 1-5," Bradford's voice came over the transport's speakers, "here's the situation. On our last mission, we recovered some of ADVENT's plans to fight us and frame us. We discovered that one of those plans is to detonate nuclear warheads in city centers." Anderson and Dallaire swore under their breaths.
Ruby froze up. Nuclear… that's what the failed power plant in Mistral was. That was the kind of radiation in Mor'ranar Vera. Add warhead to that… the mushroom cloud she saw from the Vytal and what the Relic of Knowledge showed her… This was not good.
"We believe that these are the last four nukes in existence," Central continued. "At the moment, they are destined for New York City, London, Moscow, and Tokyo. ADVENT's claimed they destroyed all the nukes from the Old World so it would be easy to say that we detonated these things.
"The warheads will only be in the AO for ten minutes before they are taken away by air. They are arriving on one train and leaving on separate airships. We are expecting reinforcements to come as soon as the alarm is sounded. You will have to hold out until the nukes are disabled. If there's a window, the recovery team will head in and pick as many of them up as they can."
Ruby raised her eyebrows in disbelief. She looked around the transport. Five soldiers against an army, four since one was going to be the one disarming the nukes. Five soldiers to hold out against who knew how many others. This thing could hold more than twice that many if people stood. There were definitely that many soldiers on the Avenger. Why wasn't this thing packed to the brim?
She shook her head. "Why do those weapons even exist?"
"Ask the American." Dallaire elbowed Anderson.
Anderson glared at the woman. "France had its own fair share of nukes too."
"We have new information," another voice came through the Skyranger, the same one that called the soldiers to the hangar. "Anti-aircraft weaponry and sensors have been mounted to the roof of the facility you're attacking. You'll have to hit the dirt before you reach your infiltration point." That time, Ruby picked out where she knew the voice from. It sounded like Commander Biker from Galaxy Trek.
"Shit." The Skyranger dipped forward then leveled out. "I'm dropping you one klick out, Menace. You'll have to hoof it from there." The lights in the Skyranger turned red.
Dallaire raised her head then took off her beret and held it over her heart. "The Commandy One protects." Ruby could only stare. What the heck was that?
A few minutes later, the Skyranger slowed to a stop. "Menace, ready to deploy."
"You heard the lady!" Rex freed himself from his restraints and stood up. "Everyone up. Rayla, Rose, you're the first two out."
"Works for me." Ruby pushed her restraints away, grabbed her rifle, and stood up. As soon as she did, the rear door opened and the lights turned green. Several cables dropped from the back of the Skyranger. Seemed simple enough. Ruby strapped her sniper to her back then ran down the ramp. She grabbed one of the cables and rode it to the ground. While falling, she faced where the front of the transport pointed. Sure enough, some kind of black building lay about a klick away in a forest. She dropped below the canopy, cutting off view of the facility.
Ruby touched down with Rayla right behind her. The Rider stepped away from the landing zone, grabbed her weapon, and scouted the area through the scope. No birds, no deer, no squirrels, no wildlife. The other three members of the squad touched down then the Skyranger flew off. With the engine noise gone, the Huntress started to hear the sounds of the forest. Like Invidia said, there wasn't much compared to Remnant or Du Weldenvarden.
The sniper lowered her weapon then faced Rex. "No contacts. If they didn't spot the Skyranger, I don't think they know we're here."
Rex nodded then faced the elf of the squad. "Rayla, scout ahead. Report anything not natural."
"Will do." Rayla pulled up a bandana with XCOM's logo to cover her lower face then ran off into the forest.
"Menace, proceed into the forest," the Commanders voice came through Ruby's earpiece. "Stealth drone is active and is covering Rayla. Everyone else, be on guard."
Dallaire took point with her shield and shotgun in either hand. "Suivez-moi. Keep me covered." She continued on into the Forest. Rex followed right behind her, then Anderson, then Ruby.
"The train carrying the nukes arrives in fifteen minutes," the Commander continued. "We're expecting ADVENT to take less than that to load them all onto their airships. The base nearby will have reinforcements on site ten minutes after we alert this one. If all goes well, you and the recovery team will both be out before that happens." Ruby clenched her teeth. Ten minutes for four bombs? She could do it, but that would be cutting it close, especially since she likely would have to fight her way through.
"Copy that, Commander," Rex responded. "If that's all, we're going dark." No response came. Menace was on their own. That at least Ruby was used to.
The squad continued to move through the forest. Ruby occasionally scouted the area through her weapon's scope. She kept an eye on Rayla while doing so. The elf was good. If Ruby didn't know she was there, she wouldn't be able to find Rayla. About ten minutes into the slow hike, Ruby caught a pair of black helmets accompanying a red. "Contact, three o'clock, one hundred yards out. They're just outside the tree line.
The squad halted and took a knee. Rex drew his pistols and brought a hand to his head. "Rayla, can you take them out without being seen?"
"If there were two, yes," Rayla answered. "Three, not without alerting the facility."
"I can help with that." Ruby faced Rex. "I wasn't exactly known for stealth, but I am known for speed. I can take care of them."
Rex stared at Ruby for a second before nodding. "Do it."
Ruby dashed into the forest as silently as she could. She reached Rayla's position without making a sound and with ADVENT's soldiers still being a good distance away. The Rider scanned the surrounding area for more hostiles. It looked like everyone was focused on the train line or somewhere else not in the squad's direction. Satisfied, Ruby faced Rayla. "I'll take the far one. You get the other two. Wait for them to pass."
"Got it." Rayla drew her twin blades and Ruby her one. Ruby ducked behind a tree and waited for the patrol to pass. Once they did, Ruby stepped out behind them. Once Rayla was in a position she liked, Ruby jumped at the red armored Officer. She wrapped her sword around the soldier's neck and pulled. Before he could scream, Ruby clamped a hand over his mouth. She pulled the struggling soldier back into the trees and didn't let go until he fell still.
As the Officer fell to the ground, Ruby couldn't help but think that was her first kill like that. That was the work of spec ops, spooks, someone else not her. Part of her wanted to be disgusted at the act. Another larger part said it was necessary.
Rayla dropping her two kills on the ground brought Ruby back to the present. "Patrol is gone, Sergeant. You're clear to advance." The elf stared at her kills before shaking her head.
"First two?" Ruby asked.
Rayla shook her head. "Four and five." She sighed. "Where I come from, I'm an assassin, but I never... killed anyone before I came here. It's…"
"Doesn't feel as good as you thought?" Rayla hesitated before nodding. "Good. Killing is terrible. If it ever feels good, your weapons should be taken away."
"You seemed pretty comfortable with yours."
Ruby grimaced before facing the facility. "I've killed more than I can count. I'm good at it. That doesn't mean I have to like it." She raised her weapon and looked through the scope. Several footfalls came about half a minute later.
"Rose, report," Rex ordered.
Ruby ran through the terminology Invidia ran her through since she was brought on board. "I'm counting three pods. One with two Troopers and an Officer, trade a Trooper for a Lancer in another." She shifted her scope to the roof of the facility. "Sectioid, and two Vipers… though one of them's purple."
"I don't care what color they are," Anderson said. "I wouldn't mind getting wrapped up by one of them if you know what I mean."
Ruby barely suppressed a gag. It's like CRDL without the obvious attacks.
"Stow it." Rex crouched next to Ruby. "We have two minutes until the train arrives. Wait until the nukes are off them before opening fire. Rose, those Vipers are good shots. Take them out."
"Copy that." Ruby sighted up the purple one… why was it hanging its head? She pulled back on the zoom level to focus on the full pod. It looked like the Sectoid was yelling at it, however that worked with that inhuman mouth. The green and tan Viper was glaring at it as well. The purple snake stiffened and brought a gun into view over the edge of the roof. The Sectoid and the other Viper turned away. Purple hung it's head again and judging by the way its upper body hung, it's weapon hung by its side. Take that one out last. The pod disappeared behind the line of transports on the roof.
The train arrived right on time and the squad started to move forward. Ruby stayed back to have a better shot on those on the roof. The first pod she called out approached the train and the freight car opened its door. Another pod stepped out… the armor said they were two Troopers and an Officer but they were in green. Ruby zoomed in further. These new soldiers had biohazard facemasks covering the normally exposed parts of their faces. The symbol also covered their armor. Ruby brought a hand up to her earpiece. "Be advised, new hostiles look like they can take a biohazard leak. Looks like they're a little more armored too." Her earpiece just clicked twice.
The two pods started unloading the train. They pulled out black and red boxes with ADVENT's 'helmet logo' printed all over them. Those had to be the nukes. Ruby returned her aim to the enemies on the roof. That pod stared over the edge at the new arrivals. Thankfully the green Viper blocked view of the purple so Ruby sighted in on that one. Ruby kept her ears open for a gunshot.
A single crack filled the air and Ruby pulled her trigger. Her weapon kicked back and she watched the tracer fly through the air… and miss by twenty feet. Ruby swore under her breath as she adjusted the scope. "Who set this thing up? Grrrr. Should have found a range." She raised her weapon again and lined up on the same target. As she watched, the Viper took a trio of bullets beneath the chin but it didn't fall, despite the blood pouring out of it. It aimed at someone on the ground.
Ruby pulled her trigger again and this time her shot flew into the alien's head. The Viper toppled backward and out of sight. "One Viper down."
"Good kill, Rose," the Commander said in her ear. The squad wasn't quiet anymore, no need to keep quiet on the comms. "The other one retreated to the transports and the Sectoid dropped down. "We need you to provide support for the rest of the squad."
"On it." Ruby left her cover and sprinted toward the facility. The rest of Menace traded fire with the ADVENT on the ground. One of the green Troopers and two of the regulars were down. That still left seven active enemies against five. The Lancer charged out from behind cover toward the squad. Ruby stopped in place, raised her rifle, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew true and into the soldier's helmet. The Lancer fell to the ground but pushed itself up right away. A single shot from Rex finished it off.
Just as Ruby was about to join her squad, she saw a circular object fly through the air. "Grenade!" Dallaire called. The grenade landed close to Rayla. The elf just stared at it and cocked her head. It exploded, sending green stuff everywhere. Rayla screamed the second it touched her skin. She ran out from behind the truck she hid behind to a wall with a red hologram coming out of it.
Ruby slid into cover behind an unused forklift and scanned for enemies. The two remaining Troopers stood side by side providing suppressing fire. It didn't look like they noticed her yet.
"Rex, Dallaire," the Commander started. "Suppress those troopers. Rose, frag 'em."
You read my mind, Commander. Ruby unhooked her grenade and pulled the pin. As soon as the troopers ducked behind cover, Ruby let the lever go. She threw the grenade and it rolled so it just reached the other side of the containers. It exploded and took a good chunk of those metal crates with them. Ruby blinked. I've got to get some of these for Nora.
"Nice throw, Ro- Behind you!" Anderson shouted.
Ruby turned the other way and sighted up the missing Sectoid. The alien pointed at her. The sniper pulled the trigger to receive a dead man's click. "What?" Ruby yanked the weapon away from her head. "What kind of mag has only three rounds?" She looked back up. The Sectoid threw it's head back then launched it forward. Purple energy erupted out of its oversized head. It flew right to Ruby… but she didn't feel a thing.
"Not even if I wasn't suppressed." Ruby threw her rifle down and drew her sword. She charged the creature as it recoiled. It tried to raise the gun mounted on its arm but it was too slow. With a primal yell, Ruby jumped, swung her blade back, then down at the Sectoid's neck. Her sword didn't even slow as it passed right through. Ruby landed then looked at the roof of the facility, ignoring the two fleshy splats behind her. There was still a sniper up there.
"Rose, there's a stairway just inside the building," the Commander offered.
The Huntress eyed up the building. Primarily one story with a smaller building on top. A shipping container rested up against the building. "Who needs stairs?" Ruby sheathed her sword then ran for the container. While she didn't have her Aura for added strength, she was still fit enough for some entry-level parkour. Her armor would barely slow her down.
Ruby jumped for the container and pulled herself up. She did the same for the roof, only she rolled once she cleared the edge. The Viper stood on the other side of the smaller building fifty feet away with its weapon facing Ruby. It yelped when their eyes met then ducked behind the building. Ruby drew her sword and ran for the hostile. Before she made it halfway, the Viper's gun clattered to the roof.
The sniper slowed to the stop. That was unexpected. Ruby held her sword in front of her as she approached the corner. She whipped around with her sword behind her head... but she stopped herself from bringing it down. The Viper's torso stood hunched over with its tail coiled. Its shaking hands rested on the back of its neck. More of its skin and scales covered its fangs than normal. It looked up at Ruby and the Huntress lowered her weapon. The fear in that Viper's eyes… Ruby had seen that too many times. It was calling for help.
Ruby tapped her earpiece. "Avenger, are you seeing this? This Viper's… surrendering." The innemiate response was scoffing from Anderson and Dallaire. "Avenger, orders?"
"Knock it out and take it with you." The Commander sounded exasperated. "Unlike ADVENT, we don't execute the defenseless."
Ruby crossed her jaw then flipped her sword to a reverse grip. She brought her weapon up then slammed the pommel down on the Viper's head. The snake crumpled and lay limp on the ground. The Huntress stepped back then looked at the gun the Viper dropped. Just as she was about to pick it up, the thing shook and sparked. Smoke rose from the receiver right after. Asset denial. Of course, they would think of that.
"Status confirmed," Central said over the comms. "All hostiles are down and the area is secured, but not for long. Reinforcements are seven minutes out. Our recovery team is inbound. Load those nukes and any material you can then get the heck out of there."
That solved that. Ruby sheathed her sword then picked up the Viper. She ran with her cargo to the stairs she bypassed before then out the front of the building. Anderson already knelt in front of one of the crates with his robot flying closer than him. Ruby set her prisoner down then jogged to another of the crates.
The Huntress opened the side and stared at a control panel with red numbers counting down. "Shit. Commander, this one's set to blow in one minute." Ruby tore off the panel and looked around inside. Ignition, detonation, power, timer control. If only things were that simple. Bombs were different back on Remnant. This could run by completely different rules. She grabbed the red wire she thought was the one that connected the timer to the detonator and closed her eyes. "Please let this be the right one." Ruby yanked the wire out and braced herself.
Several clicks came from the bomb. Ruby opened her eyes to see what was going on. Nothing moved from what she saw but something was happening. "Squaddie Rose," Tygan's voice came over the comms, "whatever you just did took that nuke offline. It's no longer in any danger of detonation."
Ruby sighed then picked up the panel. She froze. "Uh, it's still counting down. Ten seconds." No one said a word. That's when she noticed the sound of two very different engines. One was loud like the Bullheads she was used to, the other sounded quiet and sleek like some of the new Atlesian models. But that wouldn't matter. Only a Wyvern would be fast enough. Three, two, one… The clock blinked zero. "Not like the movies. Got it. We're clear, Commander." Ruby fit the panel back into place. "Now for the others…"
Yep... That easy... kind of goes off my hope that nukes have more ways to disable them than detonate them than detonate them... and this is only chapter three, not fifty three.
Also, once again, my Bison reign victorious is Frisco! 3-peat, take 2! The DYN8STY continues! GO 8ISON! This is GR8! And that's as many 8 puns as I got.