Hey guys, sorry about the wait. Had a number of things to work on. Projects IRL to work on. Needing yet a new vehicle to drive because of suicidal deer. And of corse, games to play. The works.
Now while you are reading this, I will be putting up a second chapter. Remember that sample I posted in the last chapter? Well I got it fully fleshed out and it will be posted. I checked out IceQueendom ( English dub.) and am going to make the executive decision. I am going to do the rewrite. Now I know a few of you wanted me to continue, and I am sorry for seemingly ignoring your thoughts and opinions, but it is something that I feel I need to do. IceQueendom was not the kill shot, it was more of a confermation. Thier are things that I should have done that I am too far in to change. I could fit IceQueendom in, but not what I want to do with Blue team. It is to late. What are these changes you may ask. Simple.
What I should have done was lock away Blue teams deaths till later. Can you imagine, if you will in a later chapter, John and Ruby's relationship are flourishing and is so sweet, but then John suddenly clams up and the walls that Ruby worked so hard to take down, get put up. And when she is looking for answers, she learns the truth of Blue team as a whole and John in particular. All a day or two before Beacons fall with both teams getting split up. Ruby and Yang at home in Patch with Fred and Kelly, while Linda is off somewhere esle and John, who was wounded, is off in another part of the world.
Ruby is confused as to their relationship. Going from wanting him and loving him, to cursing him and wanting to hurt him. Coming to the decision to repair the damage she caused while in V4.
Come on imagine it.
Aside from that, the other thing I want to do is to add, what would the right word be? PTSD? Protective ness of ones self? Example is Kelly up-armoring her stomach area and having a slight fear of swords and steroid induced combatants. After all, when she is able to remember how she died, she is going to want to protect the area that led to her downfall. Same can be said with Linda.
I am not sure what all I am going to do with Fred, but I was going to have John be the host for the Nightmare Grimm. Not sure how I am going to do his nightmare realm but I got time.
Now where does this leave this and previous chapters you may ask? Well, I was not going to delete them and throw them into the void. I was going to leave those up for who ever wants them. If you liked how things were going and want to continue it, I am more then willing to hand those over to you as well as other story beats I was going to hand in. I as well want to see this branch continue, but not with this other path brought before me. I feel like this one would be better for me to pursue.
So, to any Author who wants to see this path continue, feel free to comment or message me. We can talk and shoot the shit over messanger or if you are feeling brave enough to face me in Halo or something, ( I am complete trash, you have nothing to worry about ) we talk and play and go about getting things set up. If more then one of you are interested, well, a free for all is in order. And I dont ask for much. Just put credit where credit is due and mix the shipps up. I started this story with a LuckyRose shipp in mind but if you want to see say, John and Weiss or Blake or something, do it. Blue team are family. Let them get some Remnant action. Those two things are all that I ask.
Now before I let you all read and theroize, I got one more thing to say. What is that you may ask? Well…
I am dedicating this chapter to a number of things. First, here in the States we celebrated Veterans day ( November 11th) and the Marine Corps birthday ( November 10th ). Since this chapter focuses on Jaunes recruitment into a military branch, I wanted to dedicate this chapter to both the Marines, Semper Fi, and to any one who wore the uniform of the United States Military, past, present or future, I salute and thank you. I may not have served, but I have family who has. My Grandfather who passed away earlier this year, was Airforce. My Father was in the Army. My uncles who were in the Airforce. And my oldest brother and my younger cursing who are Marines.
And with that I also dedicate this chapter to my cousin who is in Camp Pendilton for advanced training. I got to watch him graduate…sort of. Traffic jams fucking suck.
With that folks I shall let you all read this chapter. See you at the bottom note.
/
It was a normal walk in the woods. He and his team walked through the woods. What they were doing he could not remember, but they were armed so chances are it was a training exercise. Or at least that is what Jaune hoped for. He would hate to be on a mission the way he was now. They walked and fought the few Grimm that were in the area. Ren, Nora, and Phyrra were doing great. They fought like how a trained warrior would.
He, on the other hand, could barely hold his own against an unarmored Beowulf. It took Pyrrha backstabbing it before they could move on. He thanked her for the hand to which she smiled and replied that she was happy to help. That soon changed to an annoyed look. Everyone had that annoyed look. After each engagement they had to pull his ass out of the fire, taxing them of energy and strength.
Strength and energy they could have used to save themselves. He watched as first Ren, then Nora was overwhelmed and killed. Phyrra took a shot meant for him as a Beowolf claws cut through her back and into her spine. After seeing that, he did the only thing he could do, he ran. He ran like the coward he was. He made it to the pick-up point and made it back to Beacon, which he quit. In the blink, years passed. And he was in an abandoned house, or a dilapidated house, surrounded by bottles. The feeling of loss, guilt, and shame being overwhelming. So overwhelming that he swallowed a bottle full of pills to end it.
/
Jaune awoke with a start. It was still dark out but one can see the rays of dawn peaking over the horizon. Sitting up he held his head in his hands. Fred's words from the night before came to his head, and by consequence, the nightmare he just had.
He let out a shaky breath as he stood and looked at his teammates. All were asleep.
' They are not dead, just sleeping.' he told himself as he grabbed his scroll and quietly left the dorm.
He needed some air and some water.
' Even if it is hard, do the right thing.' Fred's voice came again.
Do the right thing. He breathed in the cool morning air and felt his body beginning to awaken. He stood and just looked out over the courtyard. The faint shadows playing within his sight.
But what he was not expecting but really should have, was the four figures beginning their morning routine. The two girls have ears on their heads, with the boys being human. Blue team was out and about.
Do the right thing.
He let out a sigh. What he was not expecting was Phyrra coming up behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder.
" Couldn't sleep?" she asked after a yawn.
" Bad dream." he replied.
" About what?" she asked.
He took a breath. " Exactly what Fred said would happen to me if I stuck to my plan." he told her as turned to look at her. She had a burgundy nightgown on that reached her knees. The morning breeze blew the gown into her body. Jaune could see the four-pack she had going on. His eyes also took in her well-toned arms and legs. He felt the heat come to his cheeks as he moved his gaze to her face, which held concern and a bit of morbid curiosity.
Jaune let out a breath.
" All of us were killed one by one because you were busy saving me. With you taking claws to the back and severing your spine."
He could see her swallow the lump she had in her throat as she took that information in.
" Did you come to a decision yet?" She asked.
Did he? Did he want to go through what was no doubt going to be hard training? Training that would be from the military? And who knows what they would throw in to punish him for not getting the training and schooling needed?
Do the right thing.
" I know what the answer should be. I want to say it, but I am too scared to." he admitted as he turned back to see Blue team doing sit-ups.
Phyrra saw his dilemma and could sympathize. She made the same choice to be a huntress.
" When I was young, I danced." she said.
He looked at her with a quirked brow. " What does dancing have to do with anything?"
She smiled. " I used to dance and was decent at it." she shrugged, " I first picked up a short wood dowel and used it while messing around, and shortly after that, I started bringing it with me to class. One of my instructors saw me using it and let me continue to use it."
Jaune said he could see her dancing, but he did ask what happened.
She let out a sigh this time. " I was given a choice. I could dance or I could fight. And I almost chose to dance." she paused to collect her thoughts, " I only chose to fight because a local Huntsman was killed. My dance teacher thought I might have chosen that anyway and told me that dancing and fighting were similar enough that I would never be too far out of practice."
Jaune listened. She had a choice to live a life of peace and dance her way to fame or pick up the sword and fight. But did she do the right thing?
" Did you choose wisely?" he asked.
Phyrra smiled. " I believe I did. I made it to a good team, good friends, and a great school. What else could I ask for?"
He smiled with her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a bro hug. She took the hug but if one looked in her head, she kind of wanted him to wrap her in a different embrace. What she would call a lover's embrace, where he held her from behind with his hands resting on her stomach.
" Thank you, Phraya. I need the push." he told her.
" So are you going to take them up on it or not?" she asked.
He let out a breath. " I think we both know the answer, but it is too early to say anything." he told her, making her frown, " I still haven't eaten or had my coffee yet. So let's save any giving one's life away sighing till after I can think and reason."
Okay, that made her smile as she escorted him back to the dorm.
Down on the ground, Fred could not help but smile as he looked at his brother and sisters. They heard the conversation as he had. Their augmented ears could hear a pin drop in a sand storm, so hearing a conversation on a calm morning at the distance of a third-story or so building was not difficult.
They finished their sets and turned to one another.
" Signing his life away?" Linda asked.
Fred shrugged. " Chances are he is viewing this as boot camp. Like how normal soldiers get their start."
" How do normal soldiers get their start anyway?" Kelly asked.
Fred was going to make a smart-aleck comment but shut his mouth as he realized he didn't know.
" Let's leave the question of where soldiers come from till after our morning run." John said as he turned, and began their morning run.
/
Jia rolled his shoulders as he felt his new armor get removed. He ran his Gen-III through everything he could throw at it. The techs would take the data he gathered and fine-tune the armor.
He looked to see his sister and brother shaking their limbs and stretching.
" How did it feel?" he asked.
" Will take some getting used to, but I think I will enjoy our new second skin." Adreana said, " Although I feel kind of awkward for using the armor that was set aside, more or less, for Linda."
Mike agreed with her as he slid a knife into its sheath on the shoulder, right where Fred would put it.
" Well, let's use it in a way to honor them." Jia said as he looked at the armor set aside for John.
' May you and Blue team rest in peace, brothers, and sisters.'
They held a moment of silence for the fallen. Blue and Gray may not have been the closest of teams, but they were still family. Blue was on the front lines, while Gray was behind the lines.
The sound of a fully kitted-up Spartan was heard as the three IIs looked to see the Spartan-IV they selected to accompany them. He was in the MK-VII, the low profile armor was black with a red/orange right arm.
Spartan Mark Hoethful. A mix of a recon specialist and a demo man. With a DMR and a SPNKR as his go-to weapons, he was set to go.
Gray team worked with him a few times. Quiet and reserved, he was also not afraid to crack the odd joke when he got comfortable. He will do good.
It was the other two that had them worried. They may be at peace with the Swords of Sanghelios, but the former First Blade of the Silent Shadow Chak Fel still made him and the others nervous. It was only a couple of years since they were thawed out over Karo and found themselves on a Sanghilie ship of war, with a ship master that wanted their blood for Nova bombing his homeworld of Glikie. It wasn't until after their escape from the ship and the ONI base planetside did he put his grudge aside to deal with the Brutes that came in, and their new toys.
When the team were pardoned by the Arbiter, Gray team had its roster expanded to include some Spartan-IVs, which was not a problem, no no no, it was the inclusion of other spices.
And Chak was one of those. Don't get Jia wrong, he found working with the elite enjoyable, it just took some getting used to.
He stood next to Hoethful on his right side in his First Blade armor. The deep red almost black sleek armor was noticeable in the Spartan bay. His leg mounts held two swords and on his back was a Type-51 Carbine and an MA-40.
Chak nodded his head as the armor was racked, " Your armor trials, they went well?" he asked.
Jia nodded. " It did. They are going to take the data and make the adjustments needed."
There was a clicking from Hoethfulls's left as the last member of their team made his presence known. Raksis, or Rick as most of the expanded Gray team took to calling him, leaned on Hoethfulls left side.
" Sooner your armor get fixed, sooner we get to job, yes?"
A jackal. Of all the races they thought they would not have to deal with, it was Jackals.
Raksis was an odd one though. He was one of the few that the UNSC and ONI often employed. Once he took a job, he stuck to it. Other Kig-Yar would flip if offered enough money. But not Raksis. Multiple times he has been offered a large sum of money or other riches, to which Raksis just shot them. In his words, " I may be a mercenary, but I also have a reputation to keep up."
There was one other thing about this Jackal that made him stand out. When he liked people he worked for or with, he would often offer to remain on call or avoid jobs that would put him in conflict with those he enjoyed. And he enjoyed Gray team. He was offered to be attached to Gray team permanently and still take on other jobs…as long as he gave them due notice and to not let out anything classified. Being armed with a Beam Rifle and an SRS-99. On his left wrist was a point defense gauntlet with the sniper eyepiece, and two M7s. A sniper with close quarters.
The reason they were inviting two ex-covenant was because they not only trusted these two but because they brought something new to the table. Raksis was an excellent sniper, better than Adreana even. Some would say that Raksis would jump into the Chief trials as a sniper and would just wreck other Spartans' runs. Bitch.
Chak was a master swordsman and a great stealth unit. That cloak of his made him an invaluable asset. He could go ahead and scout out areas and report. Set explosives or assassinate targets.
But the most valuable thing they brought was the fact they could listen in on comms and even ask questions without notice.
Mike nodded. " We are going to let the techs do their thing and then we will gear up and head out."
" We will be needing to make a stop on Reach. Something personal." Jai told them.
" Your warrier siblings' deaths?" Chak asked. He was not trying to be disrespectful, just stating a fact.
Jai nodded.
Chak pulled something from his belt.
" This is for their honor then. If you please." he asked.
What was handed to him was a pendant of a UNSC rifle and a sword crossed.
" For them." he said.
/
Kelly sat down with her brothers and sister and was the first to talk to the knight.
" So Jaune, have you made a decision?" she asked, causing Ren, Nora, and Team RWBY to look at the two.
Jaune sighed, " Can I wait to give my answer, at least till supper? Make sure my brain is not compromised by low coffee intake?" he asked.
" I think that is reasonable." Fred replied, " Although I think we all know what your answer is."
" What are you guys talking about?" Yang asked.
" Do you want to tell them Jaune?" Fred asked.
He sighed and turned to his friends.
" Last Night, Fred offered me some training. I would like to keep the reasons for it private, but he offered it. And he told me to sleep on it." he explained.
" And?" Ruby asked.
" Don't keep us in suspense." Nora added.
Jaune chuckled and said that while the answer was obvious, he wanted to wait till his brain was fully online. They chuckled but did try to push for an answer. He again told them to wait. Blue team was halfway through breakfast when Glynda walked up to the group.
" Fred, I need you and Jaune to come with me to headmaster Ozpin's office please." she requested.
Fred let out a groan.
" Don't overthrow Beacon's leadership without us." he told the group as he stood.
" We won't. We don't have enough intel on where they keep their coffee." Weiss responded.
The table chuckled, with Glynda shaking her head and escorting the two to the door and elevator.
" You aren't planning on overthrowing us and turning the school into a big party house?" Glynda asked more to keep the mood light than to think that they would overthrow the teachers.
" Of course we are. We first need to sabotage your coffee supply so you can sleep through the takeover." Fred retorted.
She and Jaune laughed as the elevator arrived at Ozpin's office with a ding. They entered his office and Ozpin gestured for them to take a seat.
" What is this about? Because I am sure you have yet to find our plans for world domination." Fred said.
" What?" Ozpin asked.
" What?"
The silence was held for a few seconds before Ozpin took a sip from his ever-present mug, as he pulled out a page, and handed it to Fred.
" This report came in earlier today. Anything you two want to add?"
Fred picked the page up and gave it a scan. Cardin for sure tried to get the two out of Beacon. But he over-exaggerated the story. How he held Jaun over the roof edge and started a countdown and fake drops for Jaunes sin of having faked his way in.
Fred's amusement grew as he supposedly said he was going to pin Phyrra against the wall and rape her in front of him.
" Wow. Is this kid for real?" Fred asked as he handed the page to Jaune whose face scrunched up in confusion and disgust.
" Obviously, he faked some of it, but I still have to look into allegations like this. I was hoping you could tell us what parts."
" Hmmph, the only true parts are the fact that he did fake his way in and me giving him the reality check." Fred told him.
Ozpin nodded. " Jaune, anything to add?"
Jaune sighed, " I did get my hands on some fake transcripts and Fred did dose me with some reality. But never did he pick me up and hold me over the edge and fake drop me, and he most certainly did not threaten to rape Phyrra in front of me." Jaune said, scratching his head.
" We figured that one was fake as Fred never showed anything to suggest he would do such a thing, and we are going to talk to Phyrra to confirm." Ozpin said.
" Now why don't you tell us what it was you said to him that slapped him with reality?" Glynda asked.
" That was simple. I gave him scenarios in which he continued trying to brute force his way through. Which is death. In various ways." Fred said.
" And let's not forget you telling me to jump." Jaune said.
" Oh, yea, and that."
Ozpin and Glynda looked at the two.
" You told one of my students to jump off of the highest point in the school?"
" I did. It was either the quick and painless death vs him getting mauled and eaten or worse, surviving while his team was killed and eaten. And the chances of him acquiring survivor's guilt would be high. And he could commit suicide if it got out of hand." Fred explained.
Ozpin let out a sigh.
" Ok. You do have a point."
" Is that all? I have got to plan something's out." Fred said.
Ozpin ignored him and asked Jaune what his decision was. And he again said that while he has made one, he wants to wait until at least supper to make sure his brain was functioning properly. With a laugh, the two were dismissed.
In the elevator, Fred asked again what his decision was. And with a sigh, he confirmed his decision. He would take them up on their offer. Fred smiled and slapped him on the back.
" This is going to be fun." Fred said.
Jaune groaned, already regretting his decision.
/
The two only missed roll call for first period. They took their seats with Blue team seeing Fred's smirk. They knew. Which means they were going to have a new partner for their morning runs.
" So, what happened?" Linda asked.
Fred shrugged. " Ozpin asked some questions. We answered. Cardin faked a report."
" Do tell, what scheme did he say you were pulling?" Kelly asked.
" Oh not much. Threatening Jauen by throwing him off the roof, telling him to jump if he knew what was good for him, oh, and threatening to rape Phyrra." he whispered to his siblings.
Silence.
" He said what?" John asked.
" You heard me right." Fred replied, " What do you say we get them up at, say 0400 hours?"
He heard his sisters laugh with John giving an evil smile.
" I think we can do better. Let's wait for a month or two. Let Jaune get some good stamina and get used to the routine. Then get the team of idiots." He said.
" Ohh, you are cruel." Kelly let out.
There was a laugh and they went back to class, and from class, to class they went until lunch. Blue team intercepted teams RWBY and JNPR.
" Jaune, your answer?" John asked.
He sighed and nodded.
" We want to hear it."
After a deep breath, he spoke, " Yes. I will take you up on your offer."
John clapped him on his shoulders and told him that there was nothing to be ashamed or scared of.
" Yeah, sure. Nothing to be scared of. It's not like your peers, who were trained by some military dude most of their lives, are going to impart military training onto you when you are so far out of shape for it, right?" he asked with a double thumbs up.
" You are taking this way too far out of proportions." Weiss said, " Besides, you could use some help."
" You offering to join us, Weiss?" Linda asked the heiress.
She mulled it over for a few moments. " It's not a bad idea actually. I will think about it."
" You know, I for sure thought that you were going to say that you were perfect in every way and didn't need any extra help." Kelly admitted.
Weiss shot her a glare. " I am willing to take new training if I feel I see it fit." she humphed.
After a quick chuckle, John got to business.
" We are going to be changing up your diet. Trust us. You are going to be grateful."
Jaune blanched because he was really looking forward to a greasy pizza and some cake.
After a quick once over and gauging how current weight, they led him in. " You can still eat what you want, but you are going to want to cut back the servings." Kelly told him.
" You may also want to avoid anything too greasy. It may taste good going down, but not so good coming back up." Fred added as they approached the cart full of trays.
" This is where you are going to want healthy options. Fruit, vegetables, and a side of meat." Linda said as she grabbed a tray and started to help herself.
" If you get too much, you will vomit and cramp. Too little and you will be hungry. Try to find that balance." John said as Jaune went ahead of him.
" Dinner is when you can treat yourself to a bit more. But for lunch and breakfast? We suggest single servings and avoid the sweets." Kelly added as she grabbed a delicious-looking ham sandwich.
" We will be doing things after class. So while you may get everything digested and be ready to go by then, why risk it? After all, we got combat class after lunch." John said as he grabbed the stuff to make a sub.
Jaune gulped as he picked up a pastrami melt, some vegetables, a bowl of fruit, and juice.
" Good start." Fred told him.
" Okay, if you keep saying that, then why do you eat so much?" Blake asked.
" That is easy. '' Linda replied as she lifted her tray to wait and to find a seat, " We found that we have a very high metabolism."
" We could probably eat half a cake every other day and not gain a pound." Kelly finished.
The girls looked at the team of hidden Spartans with wide eyes. Being able to eat what you want, how much you want, and not gain a pound.
" How can I get one?" Yang asked as she snagged a chicken sandwich.
" You need to be born with it." John replied. ' Or get augmented with biochemical, mechanical, and cybernetic enhancements.'
They sat and began to eat as well as giving Jauen an idea of what is to come.
" After class, we are going to take you out and we will get started." John told him.
Phyrra asked what they would be doing but was told to wait and see.
" So is there anything special I should eat?" she asked.
Blue team looked at her to gauge her weight and capability.
" To be honest, I think you are good to eat as normal. Think of it as a normal workout session, but Jaune may be in some pain. So be sure to carry him in." Kelly told her.
She nodded but mentally? Well, use your imagination.
' Me needing to help Jaune? Do you really need to ask?' she thought as she dug into her salad.
" You and your team are more than welcome to join us Ruby." John offered.
Ruby thought about it before she shrugged. " I don't see why we can't come and join a time or three. Might be a good team-building exercise even." she said with a smile.
John returned the smile. " We look forward to seeing you after class."
Ruby shivered in excitement unaware of what would be coming later on once her friend passed the trials and tests.
/
Laskey and Halsey boarded the Condor. After tapping into a relay beacon and sending a confirmation message to Cortana and receiving a date and time, and left the system. They were reassured that she would not send a Guardian after them, but no need to take chances.
So security conscious that they wrote down on paper coordinates to wear Infinity would be as well as comm frequencies.
The pilot took them out of the hangar and into slipspace.
" We are away sir. We will reach the first drop-out coordinates in four hours."
" Good. Let's hope we can keep Cortana occupied long enough for Gray Team to collect what Halsey wants.``He said the last part more to himself than the pilot.
He looked at Halsey and his escorts. All were nervous.
" Tell me, doctor, why did she pick out this planet for the rendezvous?"
Halsey let out a breath, " Erodonis-II. That is where John, the Master Chief, was born." she said.
" And the location?"
She shook her head. " I can only guess. And that guess has something to do with him. Hospital where he was born? His old school? His old home…the location of his clone's grave."
Lasky looked at her as she said the last one. It was quite enough that he didn't think he was meant to hear it. He chose not to ask her about it, not wanting to bring up old memories nor did he want to have part of his soul taken. He also did not want part of his views of the Master Chief to change either.
He took a breath and exhaled.
" What should we be expecting from Cortana in this meeting?" he asked instead.
She sighed.
" I am unsure, Captain. But I am sure she is going to want to mourn and remember him. So the chances of her going on about him and why she was doing all of this for him are high."
" A mourning AI over-lord having an emotional breakdown. What does that have to do with us?"
" Possibly to temporarily bury the hatchet and find those that took him from her."
For the rest of the trip, it was silence.
And in a couple of days, they arrived. And they got a handshake signal and message.
" Captain Laskey, it's Cortana. You are clear. And I know I said no guardian would be present, but I do need to have mine present for me to make an appearance." she told them.
Laskey bit his lip thinking. Did they risk it? Taking a breath, he opened the comm.
" Cortana, its Laskey. Assure us that it won't be doing anything to us."
" My Guardian will be on the outskirts of the city, well within range for me to be there in holographic form." she replied.
Laskey muted the comm, " Pilot, take us in but stay ready to jump us out." he told him.
He got an affirmative before he unmuted the comm.
" We hear you Cortana and we understand, with I am sure understandable caution."
" Captain, I know you do not trust me. I understand that. With everything that I did…well, we can discuss that when you are planetside." she replied.
He acknowledged and cut the line.
/
Jaune flopped to the ground with a moan. When he got to the arranged meeting spot outside after class, he was told that this was more of a test to see where he would fit in with respect to the armed forces. They then started. Sit-ups and push-ups, lunges and squats. When that was done, he and Phyrra were given some time to rest. And then, they ran. And it was clear that Kelly was the one that took charge.
Never had he had to run for so long. His lungs were burning and his legs were aching. Phyraa was, unsurprisingly, faring much better. She was breathing heavily but she stood with her hands behind her head and arms spread to allow more air intake. She didn't need it but she was providing a good example.
A shadow fell on him as he opened his eyes to see John offering him a hand up. He took it and with minimum effort, was haled to his feat. A canteen was placed in his hands.
" Drink. Slowly." John told him.
Jaune did so. The cool water washed past his tongue and down his throat. He let out a breath and began to look around. Team RWBY, Ren, and Nora stood off on the side watching and providing support.
" You did good, Jaune." John told him.
" Now comes the next step. Picking a branch." Kelly said.
" A branch?" he asked.
They nodded and ushered him and the others back to their armory. With Jaune still breathing heavily and even leaning on Phyrra, much to her private pleaser. They entered the armory and took seats. Jaune was given some water and crackers. It wasn't much but boy did it help.
" When we go for chow, be sure to grab something filling. Then go to bed. Don't stay up late playing video games. Get what homework you got done and go to bed." Kelly told him.
" I never knew crackers and water could come from the gods." Jaune stated as he nibbled away.
There was a snort from both John and Kelly. The two teams looked at the two wondering what they were thinking about and why Jaunes comment made them go back in time.
" What is so amusing?" Wiess asked.
" Classified information that you are not privy to, IceQueen." Kelly shot back with a smile to Weiss and an evil eye to John, who looked away innocently.
" While those to go down memory lane, why don't I get into the different branches of the military shall we?" Linda said.
Jaune looked at the four collared medallions. A green army medalian with an Eagle holding arrows in one tallen and a wreath in the other. A blue and silver medallion with a star and wings. A dark blue with an anchor, and finally a scarlet medallion with a yellow eagle, globe and anchor.
" We have the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps." Linda said. " The Army and Navy may be the oldest and most well known, the AirForce may be the easiest, and the Marine Corps being the hardest branch to join."
Jaune looked up from the medallions.
" You barely make it into the Marine Corps, Jaune. And you can still join it. It may be a tad more difficult but it would be worth it." Fred said.
Jaune let out a heavy breath before asking what branch they chose.
" We, how would you describe it?" John asked.
" Ehhh, I would say we kind of just ignorantly stepped into it. Didn't know what we were doing and just went with it." Fred said.
Jaune looked at the medallions again.
" What is your choice, Jaune?" Phyrra asked.
His choice? What was he going to choose? Would he go with the easiest branch, according to them? Would he go with the ground pounders of the Army or be their opposite and guard the water and coasts from ships? Or, would he take the harder option and be a Marine?
But most importantly, what would his team want? They would be joining him and as such would join in the training. He knew that Phyrra and the others could handle it but still. Pick the easiest branch and forever be known as a cheapskate? Take one of the more modest and more well-known. Or take the hardest branches and forever have the title of Marine? Really though, it was their choice?
He reached over and picked up two medallions. The Army Green medalian and the Scarlet red Marine medallion. He held one in each hand and stared, looking between each medallion. He set the Army medallion down on the table and picked up the Navy Medalian.
He let out a breath and set it down before staring at the Marine medallion. He nodded before clenching his fist around it. He made his choice. Now it was time to put the time in.
He opened his eyes to see Blue team giving him smiles and a proud look in their eyes. RWBY was looking on with smiles as well as his team.
John stepped forward and clasped his shoulder.
" Congraduations Jaune. You are going to be a Marine...or what some people may call, a Jarhead, a leatherneck, or in good fun, a crayon eater." John said with a laugh and with a quick shake, withdrew his hand, " I had a friend that I worked closely with. He was a Sargent Major and he would have loved to take you under his wing and train you."
Fred, Kelly, and Linda had smiles remembering the man. He taught them things that only could be taught on the battlefield. He was in a sense, an older brother. And he was also known for his motivational speeches.
" I may not have his way with words, but I will do my best." John told him.
Jaune nodded but quirked an eyebrow, " Those nicknames, why does the last one seem so insulting?" he asked.
There was a laugh as Fred spoke up saying that Leatherneck would be explained as well as JarHead. And as for Crayon eater? More brawn than brains kind of thing. " Among friends and family in different branches, it can be thrown around. In the earlier days, it could start a fight. Now? Now it's more of something to throw at one another."
" And what are the nicknames for the Navy?" Ruby asked.
" Swabbys and squids mostly." Linda said.
' As long as they don't ask us nicknames for Spartans, we will be good. No need for them to know what the regulars thought of us. Machines. Freeks. Non-human. No need for them to know that.'
" And those names are just for jabs and jokes?" Ruby asked.
" In good nature yes. But call us a squid or swabbie in the field? You may get an earful." Kelly told her.
She let out an " Oh" and looked back to one of the guns on the rack.
John caught her staring and called her out on it.
" See something you like, Ruby?" he asked.
She simply nodded and Yang began to chuckle as Ruby went Ruby.
" Careful John, I think she found a rifle to take out on a date." Yang said.
" I figured. Should I be worried?" he asked.
Yang shrugged. " Chances are she just wants to shoot it and clean it."
John sighed and checked the time. " Well, we better get to the mess hall before all the good grub is gone."
The two teams furrowed their brows before looking at the time and bolting.
/
Laskey watched as the once lush green and paradise world now turned brown and scorched and glassed. Hanging above the world was the angle of death, Cortana's Guardian.
It was only a matter of time.
" Take us in." He ordered.
After fifteen nerve-wracking minutes of waiting for Cortana to betray them later, they were on the ground. With a breath, they dropped the ramp and looked out to see the barren world. They landed on the outskirts of Elisiaum city, the buildings were still surprisingly standing. Ramshackle and destroyed maybe, but still standing.
The crunch of ground was heard as the Captin and doctor turned to see a Razorback get unloaded. The machine differed from the military model in the way that it was a sealed unit. Doors were added for this mission on the off chance a glass storm came up.
The two jumped in with their escorts and made for the first nav point.
As they cruised the deserted streets, Halsey looked out and could see a lively sean in front of her. The hustle and bustle of people going back and forth without a care in the world.
" Everything okay doctor?" Laskey asked.
" I was here you know. Before the world was glassed." she said.
Laskey let it drop knowing that she was probably seeing the past. The vibrancy and color instead of the uniform brown of a deserted and destroyed and dead world.
" We are coming up to our destination." he told her five minutes later.
She nodded and looked ahead to see a building. It was hard to tell what it once was, but the half-destroyed sign suggested it was a hospital.
' A hospital? Why did Cortana bring us to a hospital?' Laskey asked himself.
He pulled into the open parking lot and killed the engine. He and Halsey exited the Razorback and looked at the building.
" Why did she bring us here?" Laskey asked Halsey.
He was answered as a blue glow formed and coalesced into the form of Cortana. She walked past the two to look at the hospital.
" He was born here. 8 pounds, 9 ounces. Born to Elizabeth and Zachary Steel on March 7th, 2511." she said before she looked to the duo, and vanished.
The data pad on Laskey's wrist dinged with new coordinates.
He looked to Halsey.
" I guess she wants to take us on a trip around the town."
She nodded and jumped back into the Razorback.
The next stop was the school he attended followed by his house. All of which were still standing surprisingly. The final place she took them was a cemetery. Halsey knew what Cortana was going to show them. The final resting place of John's clone.
As they stopped, they could see the glow of Cortana shining off of other headstones. They parked, got out, and approached to see her sitting with her knees to her chest. She rested her face on her knees as she stared at the headstone.
" His clone is buried here. He died of neurological failure. I am sure you know the real reason behind his death, Cathrine." Cortana growled.
" I do." Halsey said with a sigh, " And I know you know the reason why I did it."
Cortana stood and glared. " To give the families closer? Or to ease your own conscious?"
" And what would you have done?" Halsey spat, " Let the families wonder where their child was? Let 75 missing child reports stack up and never be resolved? Have their mothers and fathers and siblings turn to the growing insurrection and possibly need to fight against their own child?"
That shut Cortana up as she did not expect Halsey to respond like that. She then deflated and looked back at the grave.
" The power of hindsight is 20/20." she said, " You did what you could to minimize damage to the families with what you had at the time."
So that was the secret. Seventy-five children were kidnapped and replaced with clones that died shortly after. Laskey closed his eyes and let out a breath as his clearance levels just raised. This is something that the public will never know. At least not in his lifetime. Probably not for the next couple of centuries.
He opened his eyes to see that Cortana had what looked to be tears, if that was possible for an AI, in her eyes. She was vulnerable in such a state. But he knew better than to try and stick a knife in. She was just an Avatar. Her main frame was on the Guardian.
No. There was no need for bloodshed. She was hurting. Grieving even. She was grieving Blue team, or more accurately, the Master Chief's death. She was his AI, and as such spent most if not all of her time with him.
Cortana was experiencing something she thought she would never have to feel. But before he could say or do anything, she apologized and disappeared. Laskey looked back to Halsey who looked at him and shrugged.
A ding came from the data pad on Laskey's wrist. He raised it and read the message.
" She wants to continue this back at the house." he said.
" She is hurting."
Laskey nodded and escorted her to the Razorback and drove back to the Steel household.
When they arrived and entered the house, the house was still full of their things. Suspiciously so. Sure there was dust and even some mold, but it was all still there.
" Did they make it off-world?" Laskey asked.
Halsey said she was unsure as they began to explore the house before finally, going to John's old room. And that is where Cortana was. She was sitting on the bed and looked at all the old toys that were strewn about from when John last played with them. The kicker was the two skeletons in the corner of the room. An old 9mm in their hands and a hole in their heads.
" They committed suicide. Chose to stay here and to burn rather than to leave their son here alone." Cortana said.
Laskey and Halsey bowed their heads in a moment of silence. Afterwards, Laskey looked to Cortana and asked why she wanted to meet with them. Cortana let out a sigh.
" I wanted to give John and the rest of Blue team a peaceful world." She started, " That is why I was doing all of this. For them to live in a place of peace. A world where they can drop their weapons and hang up their armor and live the lives they were denied."
" They do deserve that. To live and not worry about gun or plasma fire, but to live on a homestead and farm a plot of land. Maybe even have a child or three." Halsey said.
Cortana nodded at that. " That was another goal. I wanted to be with them." She choked up as she thought about all that she wanted to accomplish, " In some way, shape, or form, I wanted to be with them. To share in their lives."
Laskey waited for her to get to the point. He was patient knowing that she needed to get this off of her chest. She briefly glitched, face turning from her saddened and grief-stricken face, to a burning rage. She got it under control as she faced them again.
" I apologize for that." Cortana said as she stood, hugging herself.
" Cortana. Are you alright?" Halsey asked.
AI or not, tyrant or not, she was Halsey's creation and was in a sense, her child. And seeing her like this hurt.
Cortana nodded her head, then shook it.
" Cortana," Laskey called, putting a little steel into his voice and gaining her attention, " You asked us here. What are you wanting from us?"
Cortana nodded at that.
" I want those that took John away from me." She said, " I want Del-Rio and those that he conspired with."
" And do you know who the others are?"
She shook her head. " All I got are codenames. Maller, Turncoat, Prowler."
Maller, Turncoat, and Prowler.
" Maller sounds like something a Brute would use. Turncoat and Prowler could be anyone." Halsey said.
" And how do you propose we do this?" Laskey asked.
Cortana bit her lip.
" I am at a loss here captain. The reason for me doing what I was doing is gone. The only thing I have left is to avenge Blue team." she admitted, " I am just at a loss of how to accomplish that."
' Shoot your shot, Laskey.' " What about a cease-fire or a truce?" he asked.
She looked up at him with a mild look of shock.
" After everything I have done, you are willing to break bread and help me?" she asked.
" Many will say that you are a human problem and you are. We created you. We thought we lost you. We need to either stop you, help you, or fix you. And since stopping you would be near impossible, that is out. Fixing you may be a challenge if you don't want to. That leaves helping you." He paused, " We all want those that killed Blue Team. That we can help with. We won't help in subjecting people, but we can help in finding Del-Rio and these others. Maybe even help in monuments afterward."
Cortana nodded. " And after that? What will happen to me when the hunt is done?"
Laskey shrugged.
" I can not say. Some will want you deleted or destroyed. Some may see you as misguided and just need help. And some may see the good you have been trying to do. I can't say."
" And one can't just execute an AI that has touched the domain. " Cortana added.
" Have you tried talking to a shrink?" Halsey asked.
Cortana chuckled before shaking her head. " I am an AI. Why would I need to talk to a shrink?"
Halsey shot Laskey a look before taking a breath.
" Cortana, as a professional, I do think you need to talk to someone. A physiological, mental, and emotional professional. And I know I am overstepping here when I say this, but, Infinity has some of the best."
Lasky shot her a surprised look mixed with alarm with Cortana doing the same.
" You, you would do that? Let me aboard the Infinity? A ship I have been hunting for the last couple of years?"
" Or to meet at a neutral place for you and the shrink to talk."
It was an olive branch. And if Gray team got what Halsey needed? The work would need to be done on a hidden facility if she was to stay on board.
Cortana looked at Laskey. " Captain, the choice is yours. I just don't want to be alone."
" You would never be alone if you came to us when you first came back." Laskey gently but firmly pointed out.
" I know that." Cortana said,
" But the 'new' clouded your judgment." Halsey said nodding along with a sigh.
Cortana nodded at that.
"Let's start small and work our way up." Laskey said, "Let's start with meeting the Shrink every other week or so. If after a few months things get better, we can discuss what to do further. As for hunting the conspire down, we will leave a line open for you to contact us with. I won't risk the Infinity on something so new."
" I understand that, but what must I do to earn your trust?"
" Trust takes time to build, as I am sure you know." Laskey replied.
She looked away, " John would trust me." she said quietly.
/End/
And with that, this version of Oly Oly Oxen Free comes to an end. Now I want say this again, while I wont be working on this version I am offering someone the opratunity to continue where I left off. Again it is not because I disliked this version, but because of hindsight being a thing, I was able to think of some new things to add that would, in my opinion, add more to the story.
So, how did I do? Did I do a good job for this? How do you feel of Jauen becoming a Leatherneck or a Crayon eater. Your choice of nickname.
So what do you want me to talk about? Well I dont have much. So I am going to the reviews and will call it.
Guest
The only thing you really need to fix in this story is some minor grammar issues (especially your quotes; they often have an extra space in them somewhere) and chapter 4's line spacing. Other than that I'm very interested in seeing this story continue. I don't think anyone has actually written a long-ish fanfic where some group from Halo goes to Beacon (or at least, not one that was particularly compelling).
I am working my my spelling and grammar. Fun fact, spelling and grammar are some of my weakest fields. So please keep pointing things out. And with the new chapters I am going to do, I hope to throw Blue team into all sorts of adventures. From initiation to the Fall, to Atlas. And I hope you stick around for the re-write.
Rathor
No rewrite. This is good stuff
Alduins Rage
Please do NOT do a rewrite. This story is awesome! Please keep it going.
Sincerely Alduin's Rage
I know you two want me to continue as is and again I am sorry. I just feel like I need to take this new path. I do hope you will stick around for at least a few chapters and see how this new branch turns out. But if any of you two want to continue as is, feel free to message me.
Guest
I don't know how you plan to handle Cardin, but I'm pretty sure the Spartans will have a join or die mentality instead of isolate and humiliate. To do so for something as petty as bullying would not be up to military standards where they are forced to work together by embracing the suck and to do so would be hypocritical. Before Spartan training, they were arrogant and individualistic. Look at John for example, he was introduced to us in the book as a bully throwing kids while playing king of the hill. He drastically changed after enduring punishment from Chief Mendez. From my understanding, the Spartans will try to unite all of Beacon under the common cause of working better in the field rather than divide the school.
Just throwing an idea out. I dislike one dimensional villains and I really like the story so far. However, I am interested how you plan to handle Cardin compared to Roosterteeth. Might does not make right and does not change the ideology of others.
Uhhhh, I really do not know what I was going to do with Cardin, I was going to just have him be that bully that is just kind of thier in the background. Only coming in when needed. And with this new path I am going to take, I can flush him out more. Hope you stick around.
Mattysteel
I like the original so far, I wanna keep it this way for now. I wanna see how the UNSC finds blue team and how all the halo characters react. I wanna see Cortana's face when she finds out about Ruby and John
Again sorry, but I feel like this new path would be better. And as for the UNSC finding Blue team? It was not going to happen. Blue team are now in a new universe. And in the new branch, God takes Blue team and plops them in a new timeline. Although their will be a small connecting point thanks to the domain.
And for Cortana finding out about John and Ruby? Well, depending on who takes up the rains of this branch and weather or not they keep the shipp, she gets to say her goodbys and a message to Ruby about taking care of him. You know, the normal AI who loves her carrier a tad to much seeing him off to another kind of thing.
Hope to see you around in the next branch.
Mattysteel
Congrats on still being alive. I mostly forgotten this story but glad to see it back in my feed
*pulls a Mushoo from Mulan* I LIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! Yea it has been a menite. Had a number of things to do. I am sure you understand. Projects IRL, writing projects, running from the horny police ( if you havent read my one-shots story, I put up a chapter that is pure smut. I needed to run. ), all on top of work.
Chadbunger
Honestly I say stay the course. But if the rewrite does happen Ill give it a try.
think ill go back and reread from chapter one now.
Well I am doing the rewrite. I feel it would be a better story. And I hope you like it. And please be sure to give your feed back. I need feed back.
drevagon
great chapter, love the character interactions. The twist is nice but I like the story as is.
Why thank you. But I am going to rewrite this story. Not because I hate it, but because hindsight is a bitch and some good ideas came to mind to late for me to add in. So I am going to redo it and try again.
And that is that. I know the presence of God can be a turn off, but it is something that I feel helps make the story happen. That and I am a religious man. If you all read my Huntress and the Spartan story, I bring God in and use it to help Summer out as well as a PSA for people. I feel like as a Christan guy, I should at least have one interaction, and not in a pushy way, with religion. I know not everyone is religious and that is fine, I am not going to Bible thump you, I just feel like some people may find themselves in a bad spot in life and need something to uplift them, and if they are reading my content, I would like for them to feel uplifted knowing that their is someone out their who does care for them. Kind of know what I mean?
Well with all that, I am going call it.
Fly Fast, Check 6…and I will see you all, on the virtual battlefield.