The troopers were not, it turned out, affiliated with Atlas.

The questioning had gone on for the better part of a day, though Weiss didn't know what time it was. She had learned a great deal about a wider galaxy beyond Remnant - far too much to take in at once - but the last hour had consisted mostly of Weiss repeating various information about her planet and demanding to be taken home.

The cubic room was starting to feel suffocating. Its unvarnished metallic walls left just enough room between them for a metal table and the chair Weiss sat on.

"And you're sure your planet was never contacted by the Republic as well?"

Her interrogator was a young officer, dressed in a bland, collared uniform. The blue and red buttons pinned to his chest stood out sharply against the material's anemic, parched green color.

"I've answered this ten times. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Very well. You have convinced me." He resumed his slow, deliberate pacing on the other side of the empty table.

"Your acumen in battle caught the attention of the elements assigned to dispatch your captors. That is why you are here right now. Considering your lack of any...unfortunate political affiliations, the Empire would like to offer you service in the Stormtrooper corps."

Weiss regarded him blankly. "I want to go back to Remnant. Take me back."

"If you reject the commission, I suppose we have no more use for you."

"Yes, please. Now can someone take me home?"

He paused his movements to look over the wall in front of him.

"You will be executed shortly."

"Executed?! On what charge?"

"For being a member of a violent slaving ring, of course."

Her eyes widened. "But, I wasn't-"

"Who would know? And even if you weren't, someone with your skill in combat is clearly a dangerous criminal. It would be unfitting to release them to further terrorize society."

Weiss was shocked. "You're not…" she gestured her head towards him.

"You're scheduled to be terminated tonight." He placed a datapad on the table in front of her. Her mugshot featured prominently on the screen, alongside various details about her impending sentence.

"A firing squad?" she asked.

"Oh, you're not nearly so important," he answered with a grin. "There will only be one executioner. Point-blank range, side of the head. Very simple, really."

The gravity of the situation suddenly fell away from her, replaced by her pricked pride.

"Weiss Schnee, the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, doesn't deserve a full firing squad?" She crossed her arms indignantly.

Now it was the officer's turn to be surprised. "Uhh…" he stuttered. "No, you don't."

She glowered at him.

For the hundredth time since she woke up, she tried in vain to raise her aura or summon a glyph. Nothing. She was helpless.

Exasperated, Weiss rested her face in her palms.

"Fine. I accept."

No windows.

In two weeks abroad the ship, Weiss hadn't seen a single window. Despite the monolithic style of the architecture, she felt eerily claustrophobic. She had been given - or more accurately, assigned - a small apartment for her stay. Used for guests, diplomats, and any other visitors aboard the ship who weren't supposed to be locked up, the room was furnished and comfortable. Though the decor was sparse and mostly practical, it was still a tremendous difference from the rest of the sterile starship.

Though she wasn't confined to her room, she was watched when outside of it and ultimately restricted to the areas associated with the lodging. There were kitchens, common areas, a gym and even a pool, all built in the same architecture as everything else like some sort of industrial hotel.

Worst of all were the lights. While she could control the lightning in her room, the artificial day and night pattern outside functioned by substantially dimming the omnipresent floodlights outside. This meant that the only way to keep track of time was to open the door and check whether they were dimmed or not. Several times she had foolishly done so right after waking up in the darkened room, only to be assaulted by sheer white. On another occasion she had been wandering outside when the dim 'night' lighting switched to 'day,' and was quite literally blinded by the sudden intensity.

There were only a handful of others staying in the facilities, usually freakish alien beings with humanoid bodies, whom she prefered to avoid. She had seen other humans, often dressed in strange but ornate clothing, from time to time, but hadn't risked approaching them.

She had agreed to join her…'rescuers' to buy time, but time hadn't helped her. She had no communication or access to whatever was outside of the ship's ecosystem, and her strained efforts to use her aura or deduce why she couldn't always failed. Her scroll and, more worryingly, Myrtenaster, were lost to her. Out of sheer boredom she had started swimming and even visited the gym a few times.

Weiss was reclining on her bed trying to nap when the door slid open. Surprised, she quickly stood to meet the visitor, another of the ship's green uniformed officers. She was about to mention how inappropriate it was to enter without knocking or otherwise alerting her, but he spoke first.

"Hello. I hope you found your accommodations satisfactory." She started to speak, but he cut her off again with a raise of his hand. "We have arrived at your destination. Gather your things and follow me."

She stared at him for a few seconds, before deciding against protesting the sudden request. It just wasn't worth it, and she welcomed the idea of finally getting off the ship. She quickly assembled her few belongings and followed him out.

They walked through corridors, boarded and exited lifts, and passed through wide rooms for what seemed like a ludicrously long time. Weiss couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at how massive this vessel was.

Their destination was a hanger, though like everything else it was massive. The far end opened into space; the inside was protected from the vacuum by a simmering blue field. Weiss and her escort had only been standing in the middle of the hanger's jet black floor for a few seconds before a winged shuttle appeared on approach. She noted to herself how well-timed their walk had been, impressed. Clearly these people valued efficiency and coordination.

The shuttle slowed and passed through the azure layer as if it wasn't there; the force field's edges rippled with blue sparks and static as they clung to the craft's exterior. Its two bottom wings folded up towards one extending straight up from the shuttle's body, allowing it to land a short distance away from them.

A ramp extended down from under the craft, and a couple platoons of white armored soldiers quickly marched out in lock step. Their indistinguishable helmets featured built in air filters on each side of the jaw, below an upside down black V over the mouth and two black ports over the eyes.

'Stormtroopers.' What she was supposed to become. She dismissed the absurd notion from her head, but did appreciate the aesthetic. Their armor was perfectly polished and free of blemishes. They were clean, well organized, focused. The color scheme wasn't so bad either…

Her escort motioned her towards the shuttle. Its ramp was still extended, apparently for her. She walked to it, noticing a planet that came into view on the far left of the hanger's entrance. Only its curve was visible from her angle, but she deduced that was her destination. 'Good.' Actual land would be nice.

The ramp rose and the shuttle lifted off as soon as she was inside. She quickly took a seat along the side of the empty bay, and didn't have to wait long to feel the craft set up again. The ramp descended, and she stepped out into natural sunlight. She paused at the end of the ramp to bask in it.

It wasn't Remnant's sun, however.

"Weiss Schnee?" A tall, bald man with a well groomed goatee approached from the right. He was wearing full Stormtrooper armor except for a helmet. He was at least a foot and a half taller, dwarfing her when he came over.

"Yes," she nodded.

He raised a datapad and looked over it. Then he crossed his arms and looked her up and down, wearing an unimpressed frown. "So you're here to become a Stormtrooper?

"Uhh-uh," she stuttered, trying to think of something.

"They better not be messing with me," he muttered under his breath. "Come with me."

She followed him into a grey bunker-esque structure, then to a room dominated by a window with an indoor arena on the other side. He studied the datapad again, this time in earnest.

"Several observed kills, excellent situational reflexes, impressive close combat aptitude, little sense of self-preservation," he read aloud, grinning at the last item. "Noticeably poor marksmanship," he went on with a laugh. "So you can fight?" he asked, looking up at her.

She hesitated, thinking. "No. I can't fight at all."

He raised an eyebrow. "You are Weiss Schnee, correct?

"Yes, but I've never fought. I don't know what all of that in there is," she said, motioning at the datapad. "It must be the wrong person."

He glanced down again. "You were retrieved from Trandoshan slavers by the Star Destroyer Destrier and subsequently brought here, yes? You certainly arrived from their shuttle."

"Yes," Weiss said slowly and reluctantly, taking in the new phrases as well as trying to think of how to dismiss the evidence. "But...the account of me fighting must be wrong."

"Hmm. Well, let's find out," he said with a boisterous grin. He turned her around and nudged her forward, through a nearby entrance to the arena. It was a moderate sized circular room with a padded black floor.

He called out, and another man appeared from another entrance along the wall. Younger and shorter than the bald man, and with a short crew cut, he was only wearing armor over his elbows, shins, and feet.

He sized her up with a questioning look. "Captain Draaj?"

The bald man nodded reassuringly at him. "Fight!"

He took up position a few meters opposite her. She raised her firsts and tilted towards him, trying to appear as amateur as possible while still being believable.

He moved quickly, landing testing blows against her raised arms and sending a high kick into her side. She grunted but maintained her position.

After blocking a quick jab with her right forearm, she leaned into a punch with her left fist. It was slow and clumsy on purpose; he swatted it aside before it made contact and quickly punished her with hard blow to the jaw.

She staggered back, pulling in both hands to cradle her lower face in a display of pain. As she hoped, he took immediate advantage of the silly opening, charging past her and driving his knee into her gut.

The attack was strong enough to send her to the ground, and she let it. She rolled over onto her back rather than try to get up.

"I surrender!" she said, holding her arms and hands out. She gave the captain a pleading, vulnerable look, but he just chuckled.

Her sparring partner walked up to her and stared.

Then he kicked her.

She gave his superior a shocked look, but now he was laughing.

He kicked her again, and his armored boot hurt.

'This isn't going to work.'

Dropping the farce, she lunged away from him and spun around on the floor. She entangled his feet with her own, and then tripped him with a twist of her body. She wasn't going to suffer a beating to try and prove she was helpless.

Both of them rushed to their feet in around the same time. This time, Weiss' stance was much more deliberate and tense. He struck first again, throwing his body behind a lunge with his left first. She darted to the right, pushing it away with her right arm and then moving towards him. She delivered a few punches to his unguarded stomach before he pulled back his arm and swiveled to face her.

She skipped back, and then they circled each other. Weiss moved in, baiting a punch that she leaned back to avoid and then rushing forward to deliver her own to his face. He caught her with a counter hook, but she brushed it off and backed up, quickly absorbing a few quick jabs with her raised arms.

He moved in and swept his leg out in a low kick; she jumped, bending her knees to avoid it. She was met with a right hook squarely to the shoulder when she landed, but she immediately returned a punch to his mouth.

Switching tactics, she bolted to his right, sweeping her left foot into his shin. He didn't trip this time, but he was surprised enough to let her land a blow on the side of his neck. He spun around and unleashed his fists, but they were aimed high and she ducked to dodge them. She used the opportunity to strike his stomach as hard as she could, then pulled back to avoid punches with a corrected lower aim.

Fist fighting was sort of like fighting with her nimble rapier, but she was used to striking and parrying with a blade as an extension of her arm rather than her arms themselves. More importantly, without her aura her ability to maneuver was limited.

She still had better speed and agility, however, so she focused on using that to her advantage. She hastily circled around him, dodging his heavy blows while delivering lighter strikes whenever she found an opening. It worked until he spun the other way, using the momentum for a roundhouse kick. He had learned from his previous mistake, and this time the kick was high, colliding into her upper thigh and halting her motion.

He tried to capitalize with a rapid flurry of punches, but she blocked and pulled back. He lunged after her, fast enough to put a heavy right hook into her collarbone. Undaunted, she coiled her body to the left and used her right arm to bat aside an opportunistic follow up hook from his left.

Now he was open. She uncoiled herself, twisting with her legs and core to drive her left fist squarely into his neck. He stumbled back and then quickly withdrew, holding his neck and coughing. She didn't pursue, and the fight paused.

Captain Draaj let out a loud, boisterous laugh. "I like it! You're in."

Weiss sighed in relief when her opponent took that as a cue to relax. His blows landed hard, and she knew hers didn't have anywhere near the same effect on him. She rubbed her shoulder and collarbone. Pain and physical damage during fights were things she still wasn't used to.

She turned to face the captain. "What happens now?"

"I've already assigned you a unit," he said, tapping on the datapad. "Your block's training begins in a few days, so for now Sargeant Nugyn here will give you a tour of the premises." He motioned at her sparring opponent.

Nugyn straightened his posture and crossed his arms. "Not bad. But it's a good thing we didn't grapple; you'd probably snap in half." He snickered, but Draaj laughed heartily. Weiss grimaced with embarrassment.

"We have a pretty sizable academy here, so it'll take you two all day," Draaj continued. Then he'll show you where your barracks are and you can have a good night's rest in your new bunk."

Weiss raised her brow. "Bunk?"

Draaj nodded without looking up, either not catching or not caring about the tone of her question.

"Well, get to it," he said, stepping away from the door.

Sargeant Nugyn was nice and soft spoken, if occasionally impatient. They had spent the day going around the academy, as expected, visiting everything from parade grounds and marshaling centers to various types of training environments. The tour often raised more questions than answers, but Weiss didn't think this was the time to ask. Nugyn's commentary on the locations was colored with tidbits about the wider galaxy, which Weiss made sure to take note of.

The two stood at the top of a curved flight of stairs, arranged in a circle around a large amphitheatre, as the sun went down.

"So, this is the Empire." Weiss said.

He nodded. Below them, the stage floor was dominated by a massive emblem. It consisted of a thick, circular rim that enclosed something like a large gear, with six equidistant spokes attaching to the rim. The gear's center was gutted by six inward tapering spaces, joined into an empty circle in the center.

The emblem was off center, making way for a towering statue situated on the edge of the stage. At least thirty meters tall, the edifice was a hooded figure wearing fine, black robes, looking out over the area.

"Emperor Palpatine?" Weiss guessed.

"Indeed," Nugyn replied. "He saved the galaxy from being overrun by megacorporations and endless war machines." He glanced at her. "You're probably too young to remember the war. I'm sure your parents told you plenty."

Weiss chose her words carefully. "We didn't really hear that much about it, where I come from."

"Outer Rim, right?"

"Yeah. Outer Rim."

He shook his head slightly. "You must be from pretty far out there."

The two studied the statue until their shadows grew longer.

"Well, time to show you where you sleep," Nugyn said chipperly. Weiss nodded.

Weiss stood in the doorway of her new quarters; one of the many barrack's in which cadets were housed. Her eyes widened as she saw row after row of the open aired bunk-beds being filled by cadets of all shapes and sizes, who jostled and shoved her in order to let even more through. A couple of women quickly brushed past Weiss and began worming their way through the crowd before she could introduce herself.

Clutching her bag of few belongings with horror, Weiss was carried by the press of her fellow cadets deeper into the room; all while her soon-to-be roommates raucously laughed and hit each other in shows of dominance. Looking back in horror, she could see Nugyn giving her a thumbs by the door as he touched his ear and started chatting into his reciever.

Her line of sight was broken quickly as a sneering teen pushed her out of the way, muttering about farm kids as he did so.

Preparing to flame the poor soul with her indignation, Weiss turned and found the perpetrator was nowhere to be seen, lost in the press of motley dressed cadets as they rushed to claim bunks.

Realizing that her selection was rapidly depleting, Weiss beelined an open bunk in the centre of the room; practically throwing herself in order to claim it.

The sheets were stark white with a sole, dismal pillow for her to rest her head on. Slowly unpacking her things, Weiss looked around to take the scope of the barracks and what she was going to be dealing with for the immediate future.

What she saw looked like the weirdest assortment of backgrounds she had ever seen. Pale faced boys checked their nails and hair frequently, chubby and sweaty men clambered onto top bunks and began unpacking snacks, strapping farm boys began undressing right before her eyes (a bit too close for her to properly enjoy), and twitching males of all ages with wild hairstyles and grey eyes got into hazardous staring contests.

A sense of total bewilderment struck Weiss as she absorbed the sheer testosterone that was being thrown around without a care in the world.

She had always grown up with a vast amount of space to herself, her first experience with living in close proximity to others was with her team and Beacon and even that had been harrowing despite their similar age and gender. At the thought of her first real friends, a terrible fear wrapped its claws around her heart.

As the oversized man in the bunk above her spat off his bed and right past her, she jolted to her feet and desperately scanned the white and grey room, searching desperately for something that could confirm or deny her greatest concern.

Row after row revealed the same fact, as her soon-to-be comrades in arms all mingled or prayed among their nearby bunkmates. One cadet in particular caught her eye as he sat on his bed, biting his toes to remove deadened skin while another was trying to show his comrades that he could indeed burp the entire alphabet in Basic.

He.

He.

Every single face she saw was that of a male.

Sitting back down with the weird sensation of both horror at the prospects this would behold and bewilderment at where in the world the other women could be, she frantically made herself look as unapproachable as physically possible. Several of the nearby cadets had already begun to nudge each other and point in her direction, others openly leering at the beautiful heiress.

Busying herself with the straightening of her jacket and the edges of her bed while forcefully excluding an air of indifference at the growing murmurs around her, Weiss was trying to keep herself from having a panic attack.

'Not a single girl?! What in the world is this place! What happened to all the women?!'' Weiss thought, the frantic pressure beginning to burrow into her head with the beginnings of a migraine starting to form.

The thought of spending so much time with the opposite sex was… well… It rankled her to say the least. Her experience was limited to say; the only men other than her father and dignitaries that she had ever really spent any time with were Ren and Jaune. Neither of those specimens were exactly Beacon's finest or most prominent, especially when it came to the typical bluster and testosterone that Weiss associated with the gender.

While not exactly promising, the thought of Jaune and Ren did calm her slightly, as the memory that men could be quite elegant was reassuring. Well, mostly elegant. Jaune wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but if Weiss could describe him in one word it would be earnest.

'Maybe I can find the few quiet men and use them as a buffer' she mused, 'If I just stay out of everyone's minds for as long as possible I can be just…' Her thoughts made her nauseous as she gagged and choked out the words "One of the boys."

Completely unaware to her surroundings, Weiss failed to see several of the cadets egging on one of their fellows with jeers and words of encouragement before shoving him forwards. Stumbling a bit before righting himself, the man began to swagger in Weiss' direction. Slicking back his hair, the man leaned against the railing of the top bunk and stuck out his fingers in two pistol shapes with a smirk across his face.

"Hehe, sup?''

The seemingly random appearance of the man and his attempt at conversation completely launched Weiss out of her stupor, making her attempt to stand up while still underneath the bunk; bashing her head against the unknown metals hard frame.

"I-uh- excuse me?" the heiress spluttered out, completely disoriented as she rubbed at the sore spot on her forehead, trying to get a good look at the man. Several of the men watching snickered and gave the swaggering man their thumbs up.

"Hehe, name's Carl. Carl Skeen." The man licked his pinky and his index finger, using them to straighten out his eyebrows simultaneously in what he clearly thought was a seductive move. Unfortunately for him, all he got was a raised eyebrow.

The man wasn't very tall, only a little bit taller than Weiss herself. His hair was curled and raven black, slicked all the way from front to back so tight the top of his scalp looked like it was losing circulation. His eyes had a permanent squint, and what little Weiss could see of them were piggy and hungry in nature. He had a sharp, and rather nice, chin, which was ruined by the fact his upper lip seemed permanently curled up in a mix between a sneer and smile. Stray hairs stuck out from around his mouth and neck, and the man seemed to be only capable of breathing out of his mouth as Weiss was greeted by a rather unpleasant halitosis that escaped his pudgy lips.

Noticing her roving and calculating eyes, Carl mistook her observation and shocked expression as her checking him out. Stretching out in front of her in order to give what he thought was a pleasant view, Weiss was exposed to the unpleasant noise of a spacers jumpsuit suffering the effects of ones unhealthy diet.

"Hehe, used to be a rogue spacer. Had tons of crazy adventures, learned a lot of… skills." He winked at Weiss. "How about yourself, milady?" he queried, wiggling his eyebrows as his eyes desperately struggled to keep from flickering down to her chest.

Weiss looked slightly past him to see several of his companions trying to act inconspicuous as they eavesdropped and watched the spectacle.

Realizing that not only would she get no support, but that there was already a group of guys psyching themselves up to hit on her, Weiss tilted her head and flashed Carl a coy smile.

"Can... can I be honest with you?" She queried with blaringly false cheer to the oblivious Carl as his nostrils flared and he stuck out his chest with pride.

"Hehe. Of course, milady. A gentlemen such as myself will always have an ear for a snow angel such as yourself." This last statement was met with a few barely heard compliments from some of the heavier men up on the bunks above them, causing Carl to preen with satisfaction.

"Well.. to be honest… who knows how short life is when you're a soldier… and… well. I… I've never…" Weiss continued, twisting her toes on the floor with false embarrassment and innocence that was cultivated for years in the political dinners and parties that her father threw constantly in order to portray the image of purity her father required of her.

The absolute focus of every man in the nearby vicinity was completely on the two of them, as Carl basically quivered with the anticipation that he had so readily seduced the only woman in the whole clas-

"I think you may be the most repulsive man i'll ever meet in my life." Her visage snapped into a brutal glare of cold hatred, making the greasy man take a step back. Her entire audience reeled, some with laughter while those who could see her face did so in fear.

"Hehe?" Carl's upper lip did the best it could to point downwards in a frown, ultimately making him look even more like some uncomfortable fish in Weiss' opinion.

"I don't like you. Mr. Skeen was it? I don't like you. Please go away." She turned quickly on her heel, sitting down swiftly on her bed as she began to use some of the relaxation techniques they taught to all the huntresses and huntsmen at Beacon.

The affronted man began to sputter in indignation and had taken a step closer to her in order to voice his outrage when all of a sudden the main double doors to the barracks opened up and in poured eight Stormtroopers. Between them were a man in a prim green uniform alongside Captain Draaj and Sergeant Nugyn.

Most of the men stood up in what they thought was appropriate posture while some remained laying on their beds, straining to see the group.

"I am Administrator Jayek, and I will be directing you all to your assigned bunks." the man in green stated sharply, gesturing to the eight stormtroopers. The troopers moved forwards and began to drag the layabouts out of their beds, along with all their freshly unpacked luggage. Watching the example being set, each other cadet began to promptly pack their things back up haphazardly, some now even bothering to close the containers as they shuffled away from each bed.

Weiss was suddenly grateful for the fact that she only had her packed huntress uniform and a second set of the civilian clothes she had been provided on the ship. She stood at attention and shot a glare at Nugyn on reflex before realizing that a rigid command structure would not tolerate insubordination and snapped ramrod straight. Her eyes flickered to the sergeant, praying to whatever gods reached out this far that she hadn't already gotten in trouble. When she finally caught his eyes, she saw them narrow slightly before snapping open with a small smile a quick thumbs up. She relaxed at the knowledge he wasn't exactly mad at her, until her stomach twisted at the confusion crossing his face when he looked at her properly.

"Uh, Cadet Schnee?" Nugyn asked across the room, rewarding her with the audible snap of everyone turning to look at her.

"Schnee? That almost sounds like Skeen... " Carl muttered from behind her.

"Yes, sir?" her voice betrayed her in a squeak at the sudden focus as the Administrator raised an eyebrow with a visage of annoyance while the Captain placed his hand in front of his mouth, head moving slightly.

"Why aren't you with the rest of the women in your section?"

The room was silent except for the rattling of the air conditioners pumping out the rooms worsening stench, her pale face draining completely of blood while a smile snuck its way onto her face. At war with embarrassment and relief, Weiss wordlessly pointed in the direction of the back of the room as she quickly grabbed everything she currently owned into a bundle. Draaj nodded his permission to her, his hand dropped but the ghost of a smile still lingering on his face.

Shuffling down aisle after aisle, Weiss sheepishly stared at the floor in an attempt to not draw any additional attention to herself. Soon she found what her superiors were referring to, a white door that perfectly blended in with the white wall. The only symbol that the stupidly hidden door was for the females was the small figure above the door in light gray in the symbol of a stick figure with a dress.

Standing in front of the door, it opened automatically after a few seconds. Stepping through, she saw six young women spreading out their belongings in the small room, with around five sets of bunk beds in total spaced evenly across.

A couple of the girls looked up and smiled at her while the rest didn't really pay her much mind. Deciding that it would be better to aim for one of the more friendly women, Weiss approached one of the bunks with a waving girl sitting on the top.

"Heya," the woman greeted her, "Names Trina, you?"

Feeling a real smile appear on her lips, she briefly examined the woman. She seemed to be a fair skinned lady around her age, short red hair and grey eyes. Nothing at all like the other cadets she had met so far.

"Weiss. Weiss Schnee. Do you mind if I grab the bed below you?"

Trina snorted, nodding her head while nonchalantly reclining in her bed as the young heiress deposited her stuff on the freshly made bunk.

"Check under the beds, they left us 'welcome' packages I think. Got tons of stuff in there," Trina gestured towards their other roommates, who were unpacking the wide, flat boxes they had clearly dragged from their hiding place.

Giving her thanks, Weiss almost ravenously dug into the box, sorting through the various necessities they had provided her and effectively making up the majority of what little she now owned.

Inside, it was like a treasure trove to the recently impoverished Schnee. She had several sets of fresh clothes, as well as some skin tight black jumpsuits she undoubtedly would be expected to wear at some point. The clothes were plain, but at this point Weiss was willing to settle for anything with a bit of variety. They were a bit too large for her, but she supposed that there was no way for the administration to plan for each and every body type.

Additionally, she also found a small clear bag of toiletries that seemed to include the essentials she would need alongside a small card with the information for domestic requisitions she could contact for anything in addition to what was already provided.

'Within reason' Weiss mused, weighing the chances of her being able to get a rapier through whatever form of supply chain these troopers must have.

Digging further, she found another small bag, this one completely black. Trina gasped with excitement as she watched her bunkmate unpack her new things.

"Ah! I see you found the little black bag of secrets!" she chuckled, much to Weiss' confusion. Seeing her state, Trina expanded on her joke "it's basically a 'womans essentials' kit, got everything from A to Z that you'll need every time you bleed without getting shot."

Flustered, Weiss nodded her thanks before digging into the pouch to find what was actually at her disposal. Aside from the usual and expected, Weiss pulled out a small package of pills with a raised eyebrow.

"What's this for?" she asked Trina, eliciting chuckles and giggles from the other girls in the room.

"It's there because Stormtroopers don't get maternity leave, kid." Stated one of the women from across the room, causing laughter as understanding dawned on Weiss and eliciting a nervous chuckle from the heiress.

Quickly repacking the black bag and stuffing it into the corner of the box, Weiss pulled the final items from the box.

One was a service package, clearly used for weapon maintenance. It contained a plethora of odd bolts and tiny wrenches and strangely cut rags that Weiss had absolutely zero clue how to use. Carefully placing it back where she knew she could easily access it, Weiss examined two small datapads. After fiddling with the strange technology, she finally opened it and read the file labeled simply 'Regulations and Requirements' which was obviously their field manual.

The second datapad opened up with a much more positive image, showing a picture of a Stormtrooper guiding a little girl across the stars while holding her hand. It was cute, but kind of strange for literature an adult would be reading. The title of this file was 'Living life in the Galaxy's new Empire'.

'Ah, this is probably an information pamphlet! How thoughtful.' Weiss eagerly placed the datapad on her bed, intending to read through it as soon as she woke up tomorrow.

And lastly, the final item was a small card explaining how to use the lock on the small box she would inevitably be using as a footlocker in order to protect her personal effects and belongings.

Just as she finished packing away her items and hiding her huntress uniform at the bottom of the box, the lights in their room began to dim slightly, encouraging the girls to all make their way to the communal bathroom and start preparing for bed.

A few minutes and some horrible tasting toothpaste later and Weiss was laying in bed, wearing the sole pair of nightclothes they had given to her. Trina snored loudly above her, having passed out almost immediately when she got in bed.

It had been quite a day if Weiss was being honest, and it finally felt like she was going somewhere. No more waiting around, no more twiddling her thumbs in wonder if they were gonna throw her into space or not. There were still a lot of unanswered questions, but Weiss pushed them as far away in her mind as possible as her eyelids began to drift shut, imagining and then dreaming of all the planets they would explore.

And how good she would look in that armor.

A/N: Hey guys, Jupitermonkey4 here! hope you enjoy the chapter, please follow, favorite and review to show your support! Please check out my co-authors page on Ao3, under the name Darthbrowser!