(A/N) So… yeah… it's been a month plus since a chapter. I should probably explain why this is the case. There are two main reasons, the first being that this is the third iteration of this chapter; the other two were about 4k each and I threw them out in their entirety. The other reason… I honestly wasn't in the right mental state to write. With all the shit happening in the world, I just wanted to hunker down, play video games, and pretend that nothing was wrong. I'm not going to say that I'm quote-unquote 'better', but I've made some changes that are long overdue in my irl habits and hopefully that translates into more writing.

I do love writing, but sometimes it's just easier to sit back and enjoy a game of CK2 or Chimera Squad. Also, there's gonna be an IMPORTANT ANNOUNCMENT in the bottom a/n, so be sure to read at least that part. Hope you enjoy this chapter.


Volume Two

Chapter Twelve – Enemy At The Gates


/-\ Valkea Khan /-\


"And that's the match; the winner is Weiss Schnee." Goodwitch said, causing me to frown.

'She beat that Monkey Faunus into the ground.' I thought, angry at the idea of a Schnee abusing yet another good Faunus just trying to make his way in the world…

…or at least that's what most of me thought. Another part, a traitorous part, told me otherwise.

The Schnee picked herself up off the ground as the Faunus groaned and walked over to his prone form. I assumed she was going to gloat that she'd beaten a lowly Faunus like him, but to my surprise, she extended a hand towards him, helping him up.

"You both performed admirably." Goodwitch said, gesturing to the aura levels on the screen which denoted Weiss's at 32% and Sun's at 19%. "However, Mister Wukong, you stopped taking your opponent seriously once you had knocked her down and disarmed her. Miss Schnee, while you did win due to your use of your secondary weapon, you ought to avoid being disarmed in the first place. Also, if you are going to use a secondary weapon, practicing with it is as important as practicing with your primary weapon. Had you missed one more shot than you had, you would not have won this fight."

The Schnee blushed. "O- Of course. I'll get better."

"See to it that you do." She said. "Now, normally I would dismiss you two to the lockers, however, today there will be a slight change in plans." She turned to the rest of the class, sighing. "I shall start with the good news. All of your remaining classes for the day have been cancelled."

Every student inside the dueling arena stopped what they were doing; anyone who wasn't paying attention most certainly was now. I would guess everyone would cheer at this news, but this was coming from Goodwitch of all people, and even in the short amount of time I'd been here, she'd be the absolute last person I'd guess would announce something like this.

"Since classtime is finished for the day, you will go to the auditorium. Headmaster Ozpin has a… special announcement to make." She turned back to the two on the arena floor, idly fixing any damage done by the duel with a flick of her riding crop. "You two are to retrieve your things from your lockers and meet us there as well; there will be no need to change."

For a beat, nobody moved a muscle, still caught off guard by her pseudo orders. She glanced back at us, a bored expression on her face. "I did say to get moving, did I not?" This spurred us into action and, a moment later, we all filed out of the classroom.

I didn't bother to wait up for my other quote-unquote 'teammates'; I'd just get there and stand by myself if need be. I scoffed; the only one I could even consider being friends with was a traitor to the-

…I stopped myself.

'Is she really a traitor if Adam might be one as well?' I wondered.

Before I could think more, however, I arrived at my destination. The auditorium was already starting to get packed with students and teachers alike with more filtering in through the doors by the second. I quickly found a place to stand, as there were no chairs, and patiently waited for… whatever this was to start.

As I waited, my eyes started to wander. Idly, I counted how many Faunus were in the crowd… maybe around a quarter of the total? I didn't actually count them individually, more just got a rough estimate. I sighed; when will-

"Ouch!"

My eyes snapped to the cry and I snarled when I saw a Wolf Faunus having her tail pulled on by some Human scum. I could just barely see over the crowd as I moved through it, and so my frown deepened even further when I saw the Schnee approach before I could reach the Faunus.

She gently tapped the brute's shoulder, getting his attention. "You should really consider leaving her alone." She said. The brown-haired and blue-eyed brute opened his mouth, but it quickly snapped shut as the Schnee thrust a thumb behind her.

I couldn't see who or what she was pointing at, but the bully clearly did. He immediately let go of the Faunus's tail and booked it in the opposite direction as quickly as the crowd would allow. Speaking of the crowd, I finally burst through it to where the Schnee had the Faunus cornered.

"Selini, are you-"

"Get away from her!" I shouted, grabbing her forearm as she reached for the girl. "Don't you lay a finger on her, Schnee."

She crossed her arms. "I'm checking on my friend who just had her tail pulled on."

I scoffed. "As if a Faunus would be friends with the likes of you."

"W- What's wrong with W- Weiss?" The Faunus asked.

"What's wrong with- She's a Schnee! How can you even ask that?!"

The girl paused, her tail lazily swaying behind her. "U- umm… she's been p- pretty friendly with me…"

"But has she actually done anything for you?"

"B- besides getting those o- omi to leave me a- alone?" I nodded, fully expecting her to not answer, and for a moment, I thought she wouldn't, given how she was nervously shifting back and forth. "…She taught me h- how to read w- when no one else would."

I blinked. "…What?" I let out, but before I could follow up on the question, I heard the loud tapping of a microphone coming from the stage. I turned around and saw Professor Ozpin standing there, cane in hand.

"Good afternoon, students." He began. "I'm sure some of your professors have filled you in, but others may have forgotten, so I shall just reiterate that after this assembly, the remaining classes throughout Beacon Academy will be cancelled for the day." Several people cheered at the notion, though most just stood silent, likely having heard the news already.

After the applause calmed down, he continued. "However, this unscheduled temporary secession of classes is due to us taking measures that none of us here at Beacon would like to." He sighed. "For the first time in history, we are asking you, our students, to assist us in defending the kingdom."

Whispers broke out among the crowd. "As you are well aware, the Sunset Invasion, as it has been dubbed, has caused a great deal of panic among the populace. This has, in turn, attracted a great deal more Grimm to our doorstep than can be safely handled in the traditional way. Many brave huntsmen and huntresses have been out in the field protecting villages, farmsteads, roads, everywhere that does not enjoy the protection of the great Valerian walls. However, walls did not save Atlas, and many fear that they will not save Vale either."

Several people gasped. "And so, with so few resources available to us, we come to you, students. We come to you because you are the only ones we can spare for this Season Unending, as our ancestors called our eternal war against the Grimm."

A deep sense of foreboding settled in my stomach as he continued. "I am well aware that some of you have not even attempted your first official mission, and I regret that this is to be your first, but the huntsmen and VDF rangers need some breathing room. This, I am hereby sanctioning this new mission. This… Trial By Fire."

He rambled on for fifteen more minutes, giving the outline of what was to happen during the operation. There was one thought, besides the existential dread, that occupied my mind throughout the entire speech, though.

A Schnee helped a Faunus.

I wasn't an idiot, that girl's eyes told me a million different ways that she was telling the truth. The only question on my mind was…

Why?


Several days of pondering later and I stepped back into the same compound I had last week; the one where 'Brother' Adam raised red flag after red flag. It was almost as if he was trying to be suspicious. Speaking of the devil, he exited the compound's main building and walked towards me, his flanks guarded by two of his men.

I checked my scroll as he approached; 11:53pm. I sighed. "So, where do you think she'll be landing?"

"She won't be." Adam said. "This place is too close to the Human kingdom; they'd detect her craft in a heartbeat. And that's not counting whatever is on that dreadnought over the city." He looked to his side, his hand resting on the pommel of his sheathed sword. "You should have simply told the High Leader what your report was; her presence here isn't necessary."

I crossed my arms. "The information I have to report is too important to risk saying over the airwaves."

He frowned. "Then as the leader of the local branch, you should have told me and let me make that decision." He growled.

I shook my head. "No, this needed to go to-"

"Attention!" I heard one of the gate guards shout. "Presenting… High Lady Sienna Khan!" The gates opened, revealing my older sister, her whip at her hip and her octet of red-garbed guards marching in step behind her.

Keeping to the persona that I was just another grunt in the White Fang, I immediately took a knee. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adam and most of the compound did the same.

"Rise." Sienna said, approaching us. I did so, meeting her gaze with a happy smile on my face. I was really glad I chose the full-face version of the required White Fang Grimm mask; I could smile as much as I wanted and nobody would know. "Now, I believe you two both have reports to give me?"

Adam nodded. "Right this way, High Leader, I have a room prepared." He then led us inside the main building, a pair of her guards peeling off and staying at the entrance. Eventually, we came to a small sliding door with no visible handle and a keypad off to its side. He took out his scroll, flicking it over the screen and causing it to beep before the display turned green and the door opened. He stood aside, motioning for us to go inside.

"Guards, stay here." Sienna commanded before entering, I followed afterwards. I raised an eyebrow at the… unusual interior. Sure, the long table was expected, but the empty egg cartons lining the walls and ceiling certainly were not. Oddly enough, the room faintly smelled of roses.

Adam entered a moment later, the door shutting behind him. "You may talk freely; the walls are soundproofed even to our standards."

My sister glanced towards him before cupping her hands in front of her face. "Guards! To me!" She shouted, though without any urgency in her voice. There was no response, not even banging on the door. She crossed her arms. "Impressive."

He shrugged. "Merely some repurposed Human materials. We got them from the very same place as the keypad for the door."

She nodded, a satisfied frown on her face. "Very well then. In light of your accomplishments, why don't you give your report first?"

"Thank you, High Leader. Nothing noteworthy has happened in the Vale branch since my last report."

She raised an eyebrow. "Not even the attacks by the Humans?"

"They ceased after the invasion of Atlas."

"Strange…" She said, looking thoughtful for a moment before refocusing on him. "And you're sure they have not made any moves against the chapter?"

He nodded firmly. "Yes, High Leader."

She hummed. "Very well then. If everything is running so well here, I suppose I shall let you get back to your duties. You are dismissed, Adam."

He frowned. "I would prefer if I stay. Any matters that go on in Vale directly affect me and my men, and any information being withheld from me is not an idea I'd like to entertain."

Her eyes narrowed. "Sister Valkea reports directly to me and me alone. If her report has any information that may affect your plans, I shall pass it on to you."

One of his hands drifted to the hilt of his weapon, causing me to tense slightly. "With respect, High Leader, I would prefer if I be the judge of what will and will not affect my men and I."

Sienna's hand now drifted to the hip her weapon sat on. "Adam Taurus, are you disobeying a direct order?" She asked.

His other hand balled into a fist and he stared at her for a good long moment. I slowly backed up from him, already picking my firing lane and placing my own hand on the barrel of my weapon. Before I could draw it, however, he looked away, taking his hand off his weapon in the process. "As you wish, High Leader." He spat out before opening the door. Instead of merely walking through, though, he turned around while in the doorway, tossing his scroll onto the table. "You will need this to leave. Do not lose it." He said before disappearing behind the shutting door.

We stood in silence for a few seconds, ensuring he was gone. After I was absolutely sure he wouldn't be coming back, I reached up and removed my mask, idly running a finger over the permanent reminder of that day.

"Does it still burn?" My sister asked.

"Sometimes, but not today." I said before cracking a faint smile. "It's good to see you again."

"And it's good to see you too." She said, her smile mirroring my own. "So, how is Beacon?"

I groaned. "Definitely not what I expected." I said, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "Well, the professors aren't all that bad, one of the Human professors actively discourages racism and another one's a Faunus herself, but it's my 'team'," I said with air quotes. "that's the problem."

She frowned. "I'm assuming this isn't the typical hazing rituals that you see in civilian universities."

I rolled my eyes. "Unless you count dragging me off in the middle of the night to go dig trenches for several hours straight as 'hazing', then no." I groaned. "And that's not even counting that one of my assigned teammates is Weiss. Motherfucking. Schnee."

"Weiss… Schnee." She said slowly. "The same Weiss Schnee whose father lets us die in his mines by the dozens?"

"Yeah. That Weiss Schnee." I said. "But… something's wrong."

She scoffed. "Of course something's wrong, Weiss Schnee is on your team! And if Beacon is like Haven, you're currently sharing a room with her!"

"I'll admit that I couldn't really sleep for the first few days, but honestly… they haven't tried anything while I was asleep." I paused. "Yet."

"You're not exactly reassuring me, Valkea."

I sighed. "I know, it's just… what I meant was… why would she help a Faunus?"

She shifted. "What do you mean?"

"A few days ago at an assembly, some Human scum were pulling on a Wolf Faunus's tail. Before I could stop them… she did." I said. "In the heat of the moment, I tried to get her away from the Faunus. Imagine my surprise when that Wolf Faunus says that a Schnee taught her how to read!"

She stared at me like I'd suddenly grown an extra three heads. "Weiss Schnee… the former heiress to the most egregiously reprehensible company on the face of Remnant and supposedly dead… taught a Faunus… how to read."

I gave a single nod. "I still barely believe it myself, but I could tell she wasn't lying." I shook my head. "I want to hate her so much; her father has done things… I just…" I sighed, taking a raggedy breath. "I don't know."

"I wouldn't trust her." She said immediately. "She is still a Schnee. There has to be an endgame to her actions."

'Is there, really?' A traitorous little voice in my head asked. I shook myself out of it. "Yeah… yeah, you're right."

"Of course I am." She said with a knowing smirk. However, her usual stoic facade quickly reasserted itself. "Not that I don't enjoy spending time with you, but what is your report? Adam will be getting suspicious if we take much longer."

"Oh, umm… yeah…" I said, my thoughts still lingering on Weiss. I shook my head. "I… I overheard something. Something… terrifying, to be honest." She raised an eyebrow, making a 'get on with it' motion. "The war is a lot more desperate than the UNSC let on. I… overheard some of their soldiers talking in the woods when they thought they were alone. They said Operation Fortitude was well underway."

She crossed her arms, head tilted to one side. "Did they elaborate on this operation… Fortitude, did you call it?"

"A little. One of them asked if they can really spare a few destroyers for Remnant." I shuffled back and forth on my feet. "Sienna, I fought the Covenant in Atlas. If they come here again…" I trailed off.

She placed a hand on my shoulder. "I listened to your advice immediately after the invasion, and I'll listen now as well." She chuckled bitterly. "It appears I was right to assess the invaders as the enemy that needs to be focused on now, even if the Humans have been our oppressors for far longer."

"I feel really weird saying this, but yeah… the Humans can wait."

She smiled. "I'm glad we can agree… on… that…" She said, her smile slowly dropping as we both noticed the swarm of rose petals slowly emerging from beneath the egg cartons on the walls and ceiling, all condensing into an opaque cloud between us and the doorway.

I realized what was happening just as the cloud began to dissipate, revealing a humanoid form as it rapidly clicked together from the rose petals. I immediately reached back and drew my weapon, not exactly confident that I could do much of anything at this range with the eight-mils that were loaded. Beside me, I heard Sienna's chain start to spin up.

The last few roses clicked into place and my 'leader' opened her eyes, an unreadable expression on her face. One thing that caught my eyes was that she was very obviously unarmed; only wearing a black undersuit that clung tightly to her form and her hands splayed in the air, making an 'I surrender' motion.

My eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here? How did you even find this place?!"

"I'm here to negotiate." Ruby said. "And I'm probably the best infiltrator on this planet; I have my ways."

"That doesn't absolve your transgressions, Human." Sienna said.

"Transgressions? Hah! This is probably the most friendly I've ever been to innies like you." She shook her head. "But that's not why I'm here. My commander wants to work together with the White Fang against the Covenant."

I heard Sienna's chain come to a slow stop, though I didn't take my eyes off Ruby. "And what if the White Fang doesn't want to cooperate?"

She shrugged. "That's fine. Just stop attacking people and we won't have any more problems." Her hands slowly fell to her sides. "Buuuuut there's some things you should know. The fleet that destroyed Reach was almost a hundred times the size of the one at Atlas." She chuckled darkly. "And you haven't even seen the bigger ships yet."

I blanched and suddenly I wasn't in the meeting room anymore. I was in Atlas staring at the alien superdreadnought. I felt my skin boil as its angry red laser shot into the earth over two miles away, disintegrating it right before my eyes.

I snapped back to reality, finding my arms shaking under the weight of my weapon.

"You understand, don't you…" Ruby said. "Listen. Now is not the time to be fighting each other! The UNSC will fight, just as we have for almost thirty years now." She tisked with a tilt of her head. "But we certainly won't say no to any help."

All three of us stood completely motionless, mine and my sister's weapons held limply in our hands. Even if she was still a massive threat, she made it abundantly clear that she didn't come to fight. The pause dragged on for what seemed like hours, each side waiting to see what the other would do.

Finally, Ruby sighed. "Fine." She said, simply. Before we could react, her hand blurred into a pocket and immediately slammed down on the table. Both my sister and I recoiled in shock, our weapons refocusing on her. "If you change your mind… let us know." She said, lifting her hand to reveal an earpiece. "See ya back at the dorm, Valkea."

My eyes widened. '…How the hell am I supposed to go back there?!' I thought.

"…Who was that?" Sienna asked.

"That was my team leader." I sighed. "She's…" Infuriating. Psychotic. Inhumanly strong. "…a person."

Sienna stowed her weapon on her hip, placing her other hand on my shoulder. "Valkea. Tell me everything you know about her."


/-\ Ruby Rose /-\


'Huh… so this is what it's like to have your own fanclub…' I thought, still listening in from behind the egg cartons. On that subject, I was very glad to realize that any stains my petals picked up didn't transfer into my Human form… that conversation would've been a lot more awkward if I'd come out with blood smeared all over my suit. Seriously, it's like they just threw the egg cartons over top without even bothering to clean up the blood!

Amateurs…

I inwardly sighed, hoping that Blake wasn't getting too worried about my lack of reporting in. That'd have to wait until I actually got back to her, though, considering I just gave up my only commbead. Oh well, time to listen to Valkea's extremely biased views on who I really am…


/-\ Valkea Khan /-\


I yawned silently, trying to keep my attention downrange as I lied in wait for the signal. My eyes refocused on my target; a Beowolf about two-hundred meters away, barely visible through the underbrush.

"All teams in position." I heard Ruby say from my own commbead. Very distantly, the sound of gunfire echoed through the forest. "Skirmishers, engage in three… two... one… mark!" I squeezed the trigger, sending an eight-mil flying downrange and into my target's eyesocket. It didn't have a head when its lifeless body slumped to the ground.

I racked the bolt. "All teams, engage." Ruby ordered. Just as soon as the words left her mouth, the entire forest around me erupted in gunfire and shrieking Grimm. I loosed another round as a black blur raced past me, cycling the bolt while Blake cleaved another Beowolf in twain.

A Boarbatusk snuck up on her, though my next round ensured it landed without a head a moment later. Another Grimm, a Creep this time, charged her from behind, but was quickly received a pistol round to the skull.

She blurred through the forest, jumping off trees and ducking behind them as she culled the Grimm horde around her. Her kusarigama whistled in the air, a pistol shot announcing whenever the weapon buried itself into a monster's skull. I did still add my own rifle fire to the battle, but honestly? I kinda doubted it was really necessary. Still, she was the one person in this hellhole of a school that I could stand, so I figured I might as well help her out a bit... even if she didn't need it.

With one last trigger pull, I sent an eight-mil round careening into a Grimm's skull, dropping the last enemy I could see in this section of the forest. My teammate's eyes darted back and forth, her ears swiveling about like little radar dishes atop her head.

Suddenly, her eyes widen as a tree turns into splinters, a black-furred blur shooting forward and clamping its massive jaws around her waist…

…only to bite wisps of smoke as her shadowclone dissipated.

Blake, opposite the now-stationary Ursa Major, frowned, sliding a new magazine into her weapon. I briefly considered switching caliber, but quickly realized it would take too long; the battle would be won or lost before I could help.

I could, however, switch ammo types. Thanks to Beacon, I now had several clips of explosive rounds stashed in one of my belt pouches. I quickly rolled to the side, ejecting the three rounds I still had in the magazine and slotting in a new clip and racking the bolt.

In that time, Blake and her adversary circled each other, the Ursa likely sensing she was not to be trifled with. I lined up my sights on the beast, but just as I started to squeeze the trigger, it lunged forward. My shot impacted one of its armored spikes, still exploding, but not doing any lethal or even debilitating damage.

Blake ducked under the Grimm's bite, slashing up at its neck as she rolled between its legs. A thin trail of Grimmgore oozed from the wound, but it was clear that a glancing blow would not end this fight. Taking advantage of her distraction, I quickly fired another round, this time aimed at the wound she had inflicted.

I struck true and my round detonated within the Grimm's neck, sending black smoke and shards of its bone mask everywhere. It looked directly at me as it howled in agony, a murderous rage held in its sole remaining eye.

It immediately charged at me, the bulky ursine Grimm going from a standstill to full-bore sprint in less than a moment. Completely uncaring of the environment around it, the Ursa Major careened through trees, vines, even the occasional log; all turned to fragments in its wake.

I gasped, barely having enough time to roll out of the way. As I was just rising from my now-prone position, I felt an unstoppable force slam into my back, sending me into and through a tree. I groaned, shaking my head and trying to get my bearings once more.

I regained awareness just in time to dodge another strike from its paw, the swipe clipping a strand of my hair as I ducked under it. I sprinted for the glint on the other side of the Ursa. The glint of a bayonet.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw it whip around inhumanly fast, raising a paw to lash out again. I prepared to dodge, however, a black ribbon wrapped itself around the beast's forelimb, applying just enough force to make the strike miss.

I scooped up my rifle, quickly racking the bolt as I brought it to bear and pulled the trigger as its maw was mere feet from my barrel. The round tore through the roof of its mouth and exploded what was left of its upper skull. The beast slumped over, already beginning to evaporate.

I let out a shuddering breath, my hands shaking as the barrel drooped in my grip. "You alright?" Blake asked.

"Y- yeah." I said. "Just not used to being so… close."

She shrugged. "You get used to it." She glanced around for a moment before cuing her mic. "Fireteam Nighthunter here; sector is clear."

"Copy Nighthunter, regroup with the rest of the team, we're being redeployed to help a stalled section of the main push." Ruby said over comms.

"Wilco, send coordinates."

"Look up."

Just as we both did so, a UNSC airship silently glided overhead, the moderately sparse forest affording us at least the outline of the craft from beneath the canopy. We both walked into the small scar in the forest that our adversary had left when it ran me down.

Blake gave a small wave to the craft hovering overhead like a silent phantom, the airship dropping a rope ladder when it spotted us. I glanced at my teammate, who jerked her head towards the ladder. I shrugged and began climbing.

A few moments later and I pulled myself into the troop bay, squeezing past a mounted machinegun as the two occupants glanced at me. I sat in the corner, putting my gun between my knees and actively trying to avoid Ruby's gaze.

I sighed; it was just so damn awkward knowing that she knew about me. Blake plopped down next to Ruby, giving me a glance before relaxing in her seat and closing her eyes.

I looked at Ruby, idly wondering why she was suddenly wearing a red helmet instead of the intimidating black one I'd seen before. I shook my head, my thoughts instead drifting back to what kept me up the entire night.

'What did she mean, 'this is the most friendly I've been to innies like you'… what the hell even is an innie?'

I looked at her again, watching as she filled a magazine from an ammo can at her feet. She gave me a pointed look and I shied away, wishing this flight would just hurry up already. I yawned. 'Maybe if I just… rested my eyes a little…' I thought, closing them.

I suddenly felt someone punch my shoulder, instantly rousing me better than twelve cups of coffee ever would. "Agh! What the-"

"We're almost there." Blake said.

I blinked. "How? We just took off!"

She shrugged. "Guess I'm not the only one who thought a nap would be a good idea." She said, reaching up and retrieving my weapon for me. "We stowed it for you when we realized you fell asleep; didn't want it bouncing all over the bay if a Nevermore found us." I took it, muttering an embarrassed thanks. "Oh, you might want to switch to fourteens right away; we're expecting some big stuff to show up."

I nodded, beginning the process of swapping calibers as she went back to her seat. Just as I finished, the pilot spoke up over the intercom. "Thirty seconds to the AO, Lieutenant Commander."

She nodded before cuing her mic. "Six, you got a landing strategy?" The comms were silent and I assumed whoever she was talking to wasn't on our net. She sighed. "Valkea, you're Six, remember?"

I blinked, cuing my own mic. "Wait, what? Since when?"

"Since this morning." She said. "Now, do ya have a landing strategy?"

"What's that?"

"Well, you're about to find out." She said. "Pilot, what's your linger time over the AO?"

"Flyover only, ma'am. Lots of Grimm in the area."

"Roger that, drop the ramp." She glanced back at me, face unreadable under that helmet. "So, how partial are you to taking the easy way down?"

"Easy way down?" I repeated.

"Yep; having Weiss make a bunch of-"

"No!"

She tisked. "Yeah, kinda figured. Alright, you two know the drill; feet first into hell and regroup on me. See anything big, call it out and run; I'll take care of it." Weiss and Blake both nodded, each taking out their weapons.

"Ten seconds to drop!" The intercom announced, a red light suddenly illuminating the bay.

She reached upwards and grabbed a massive sniper rifle, a folded scythe blade near the muzzle. "Welp, don't say I didn't warn you, Valkea."

"W- What are you doing?"

"Just hold on tight." She said as the red glow turned green. Suddenly, I felt her grab me around the waist and throw me out of the airship. I wanted to scream, I wanted to hold my weapon, I wanted to reach for the airship itself, but I found that I had no mouth nor any limbs.

Only rose petals.

'…What?' I thought.

I could still feel myself falling through the sky. I could still see a blurry version of everything around me. I could still hear the whistling of the wind. Most importantly, I could still feel Ruby holding on to me. I started to panic as we raced closer and closer to the ground, but something was off…

We were slowing down.

I stumbled as we touched down, suddenly having legs again. I flailed about as I fell squarely on my face, a groan telling me that I once again had lips. I heard automatic gunfire going off right next to me and my eyes widened.

Now remembering I'd just fallen into an active combat zone, I grabbed my rifle, which had fallen next to me, and popped up to begin shooting…

…only to find that all the Grimm in the immediate area had been eliminated.

The only presence in the clearing besides myself was Ruby, who was idly reloading her sniper scythe while surrounded by a cloud of evaporating Grimm. Seeing the danger had passed, my eyes narrowed. "What the hell was that?!" I shouted. "You just pushed me out of an airship! Who does that?!"

She shrugged. "You said you didn't have a landing strategy. I made sure you didn't lose too much aura during landing."

"But did you have to throw me out of the airship? And what was that rose petal thing?"

"I did, actually, because I doubt you'd willingly let yourself be my guinea pig for the rose petal thing."

I growled. "What."

"I mean, I knew nothing bad would happen, buuuut I didn't know if it was definitely possible to take someone with me into my rose form. Y'know, I should really come up with a name for that. Oh, and I knew you'd ask these questions and they'd make you angry." I blinked as she racked the charging handle on her rifle. "Behind you, by the way."

I froze, realizing her point, and slowly turned around. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me…" I let out, seeing the two dozen Grimm now in front of me. I immediately took aim, a squeeze of the trigger and the now-headless Ursa Minor slumped to the ground.

Ruby ran past me as I racked the bolt, her big rifle folding out into a scythe as she ran. She reached the advancing line of Grimm just as I popped off another round, a Beowolf joining its comrade in death. Ruby, however, was much faster at killing the Grimm.

In the blink of an eye, she cleaved two apart, one after the other, ducked to avoid an Ursa's strike, headshotted a different Ursa, and then decapitated the Grimm that dared strike at her earlier. I was no scythe wielder, but even I could see that she wasn't particularly practiced in its use either; she mainly struck with brute force as opposed to any kind of finesse.

Though her technique wasn't the best in the world, it still worked very well for her. In the time it took me to rake down three targets with my bolt-action rifle, she'd massacred all the remaining lesser Grimm, leaving only a pair of Ursa Majors.

They shared an uneasy glance before breaking apart and slowly encircling Ruby. I hesitated to shoot, knowing the trouble I had last time, but then I remembered I was using eight-mils then, not the fourteens I was using now.

I smirked, squeezing the trigger and exploding one of their-

-click-

My eyes widened.

-click-

-click-

A pit formed in my stomach as I quickly fumbled through my pouches, trembling hands desperately seeking purchase on another clip of fourteen-mil. My gaze shot up as I heard a beastly roar. One of the Ursai had taken an interest in me, licking its lips as Ruby engaged the other one.

With little warning, it charged me. I threw my weapon to the ground, reaching behind me and drawing the eight-mil upper receiver. Dodging to avoid the beast's jaws, I swung the entire assembly at its flank, the bayonet on the end skidding off its shoulder armor before drawing a gash in the Grimm's side.

I dodged to the right, trying to avoid the retaliatory kick, but it clipped my side and sent me rolling through the clearing. Through some miracle, I managed to hold on to my improvised spear. I popped up and immediately had to dodge again. This time, I just barely slipped by, its claws scything through the air less than an inch from my shoulder.

I thrust my weapon at its neck, scoring a deep wound, but not a debilitating one. I withdrew my weapon and-

…I withdrew my weapon and-

"It's stuck?!" I shouted, leaping away as the bear's jaws made another attempt on my life. I looked around for anything I could use as a weapon; I didn't care if it was even just a tree branch, I needed something.

Just as I dodged another strike, Weiss motherfucking Schnee jumped over my head and landed in front of me, her rapier the only thing between us and the monster. She turned her head slightly, her eyes not leaving the Ursa. "Go find your weapon. I've got this."

I absentmindedly nodded, my body already backing away from the eight-foot-tall murder machine with a hungry look in its eyes. I turned around and ran, still keeping an eye on the Grimm, but mainly looking for my rifle.

At that point, I noticed why Weiss was the first one to come to my aid. While I was busy trying to not become bear food, another Grimm horde appeared out of nowhere and Ruby was busy dealing with it. At some point, she'd switched out her scythe for her assault rifle and was blasting away at Grimm after Grimm.

I shook my head, tearing my gaze away from her movements as I continued to search for my own weapon. Moments later, I literally tripped over it. Muttering a curse under my breath, I reloaded my weapon, shouldered it from a kneeling position, took aim at…

I paused.

A part of me saw this as a golden opportunity; an opportunity to rid the world of a Schnee. Her allies were distracted. I had five fourteen-mils ready to send her way. There was an Ursa Major attacking her. I wasn't having any trouble tracking her as she moved throughout the battlefield; her rapier doing little to harm the Grimm. I could end this right here and right now.

…if I wanted.

The first shot would surprise her; the follow-ups would deplete her aura enough for the Ursa to finish her off; I'd reload and kill the thing myself. Her wounds would be consistent with a Grimm mauling; no one would ever know…

I applied a little bit of force to the trigger, starting the long pull required to fire the weapon.

Unbidden, a memory of that Wolf Faunus's face appeared in my mind. 'She taught me how to read when no one else would' the face said. I remembered the look in her eyes; not the one of a liar or someone who was coerced into saying something, no. Instead they were… honest.

I shook my head, pulling the trigger slightly tighter.

Now, Weiss's face appeared in my mind. 'You've hated me since before we met. So go ahead, work out your frustrations. I won't fight back.' I remembered the sheer will in her eyes. Not a malign will, because things can never be simple, more like… defiance.

I bared my teeth in frustration, tightening my trigger finger even more, but not quite firing the weapon.

Blake's face flashed into my head. 'If a Belladonna and a Schnee can make up… I'm sure you can too.'

I refocused on the fight, now realizing that she literally jumped between me and that Ursa. "Godsdamnit!" I shouted, finally pulling the trigger the rest of the way.

There wasn't a cry of surprise from Weiss. The bullet didn't ping off her aura. The Ursa wasn't currently mauling her to death. Instead, the Grimm collapsed to the ground, its skull blown open after my bullet had entered through its gaping maw and destroyed the monster's braincase.

I stood there, rifle shaking in my hands as I realized I might've just thrown away my only chance to get rid of her without raising suspicion. 'I just chose a Schnee over my own family…' I felt sick to my stomach.

That feeling quickly turned from metaphorical to literal as I flipped my bandana to the side and lost my breakfast on the ground. After several minutes of heaving, I groaned; I was finally done. That's when I heard someone clear their throat above me.

"I believe this is yours." Weiss said, holding the eight-mil upper receiver I'd briefly used as a spear. I nodded, her eyes drifting to my lower face. I readjusted my bandana, covering up the old burn. "Need a hand?" She asked, offering one.

I hesitated for a moment, but I couldn't see any ill will in her eyes; only an honest desire to help a comrade. Slowly, I took her hand and she hauled me up before handing me the other part of my weapon. "C'mon, we've got a job to finish."

I nodded slowly, wondering just what the hell I'd tell Sienna when this was all over…


A loud -thunk- roused me from my latest attempt at a nap and I opened my eyes with a yawn. 'Gods, huntress missions are a lot more exhausting than I thought…' I reflected, getting up from my seat in the Bullhead. The rest of my teammates got up as well, grabbing their weapons before filing out into the airdocks; the shroud of nightfall having long descended.

I took a moment to stare at Weiss. I seriously considered killing her right after she quite possibly saved my life… what kind of person does that make me? I sighed. 'Maybe Blake was right… maybe I should get to know her; the real her, not what I- what we thought she'd be like.'

I shook my head; that could wait. For now, there was a nice cozy bed in the dorm that I was really looking forward to seeing again.


/-\ Glynda Goodwitch /-\


"We're supposed to wear… that?" One of the second-year students, Miss Adel, asked. Though I gave her a side-eyed glance to get her to stop, I couldn't help but agree. Before us were eight so-called 'environment suits' and two sets of fairly intimidating black armor, Miss Rose already wearing her own set.

"So it would seem." I said before turning to the woman of the hour herself. "I thought you said only eight suits were available."

She shrugged. "Yeah, turns out that was a misunderstanding on my part. We've actually got these eight environment suits and those two spare sets of ODST armor."

"But why do we need to wear them?" Miss Adel asked.

"Because there's no air in space and that causes a lot of problems for the Human body." She said. "Any other questions?" No one raised their hand. "Good, now normally, these things would only have about fifteen minutes of air, but luckily, we've got an external tank module for each of you that'll extend it to just over an hour." Even though an hour was still quite a bit of time, I still found myself a little uneasy about having a limited air supply. "Be sure to keep an eye on your time, though your suits should automatically warn you when you hit the fifteen-minute mark and then every five minutes after that."

She clasped her hands behind her back. "Now, this mission is mainly to get you guys used to EVA if we ever needed to send you on one, but it's also a salvage mission. You'll each have a member of the UNSC Navy or Marine Corps in your group, so do what they say. If you happened to somehow find any survivors, let them know immediately. Do not try to rescue them unless specifically instructed to. I know it sounds cold, but there are protocols that need to be followed in order to not accidentally kill them during a rescue attempt." She put her hand to her chin, looking thoughtful. "Oh yeah, one more thing. If you happen to find yourself drifting away from the ship with no way back, use your radio and call for help. There will be a Pelican on-station to keep you from getting lost out there."

A student's hand went up. "What do you mean, 'getting lost out there'? I thought space was empty, how can we get lost?"

She sighed. "That's the problem. There's nothing to push off of, meaning you'll just drift until you run out of oxygen. Then your corpse will just keep going, probably never to be found again." My eyes widened in horror. "But that won't happen here. We've got a Pelican to bring you back if you do start drifting." She clasped her hands together. "Alright, now for a demonstration of how to get these things on! Weiss, Blake, come here." She said, going into lecture mode…


"Alright, one final radio check." Ruby said.

I cued my mic. "Loud and clear, Miss Rose."

"Same here, Ruby." Weiss said. "Let's hope today isn't as… exciting as last time."

"You and me both, Ice Queen. Buuut you know I'm a trouble magnet."

"Attention passengers: thirty seconds to arrival." The pilot said.

"Alright everyone, double check those seals! We're not leaving until everyone shows green."

All around the Pelican's troop bay, the students glued their eyes to the displays on their arms, myself included. Thumbing through the alien interface for a moment, I found the required function and executed it.

[Checking pressure seals…] The interface said, a slight feeling of wind on my skin following it. [Pressure seals intact! Status Green]

"Alright, looks like everyone's green for the time being. Next, I want everyone to turn on their magnetic boots." She said. Just as I found the control, the craft shifted, giving me the feeling that it came to a stop. "And we've touched down." Ruby said. "Don't worry if you slowly lose your sense of hearing; the cabin's depressurizing and that's just what happens in space."

A pit formed in my stomach. 'Since when was losing our hearing normal?' [Rapid pressure loss detected; switching to internal air supply] The system helpfully informed me. A new widget appeared in the corner of my vision; a colored ring around a circle containing the number 67.59… 67.58… 67.57… the number kept ticking down, giving me a hint as to what it meant.

Ruby stood up; her footsteps oddly silent even for her. I blinked, now noticing that I could hear absolutely nothing save for my own breathing. 'This is… unsettling…' I thought. She reached up, grabbing a rifle not unlike her own… Onyx Rose, I think she called it? This one, however, was a brownish color and lacked her signature emblem on its side. 'That's concerning that she feels the need to bring a weapon.'

"Expecting trouble?" I asked.

She shrugged, moving to the ramp. "I'd rather have it and not need it than not have it and need it." She said, stowing it on her back. She turned back to us. "Alright everyone, get up and follow me." She said, the ramp dropping behind her.

I stood up and immediately felt myself sailing upwards, a strange force in my boots being the only thing that kept my head from hitting the ceiling. I felt weird; almost as if I was floating in a swimming pool but without any water around me. I waved my arm around, experimenting with the feeling. Oddly enough, even those simple motions ever so slightly affected my balance in a way that would never happen on Remnant. Looking around, it seemed most of the others were in a similar state, though Miss Smith was flailing around midair, somehow having detached herself from the floor.

I reached out with my semblance, bringing her body gently to the ground. She hung her head sadly, Miss Belladonna grabbing her arm and pushing a few buttons on the interface before letting go. I rolled my eyes; someone clearly didn't follow instructions. I turned to the exit, seeing Miss Rose waiting, expression unreadable beneath her red helmet.

I started to walk towards her but found the activity… different than before. It took a bit of force to peel my boots off the ground, but once I did, they almost wanted to sail up past my head. I also couldn't just… let them fall down; instead, having to give a little push with my leg muscles in order to take another step.

The hangar bay our air… our starship parked in was, for lack of a better term, a disaster area. The inside of the tiny hangar was pockmarked with scorches, several burned-out hulks of vehicles littering the area around us. Some walls were outright missing, hunks of charcoal-colored slag in their places. On top of that, I was definitely sure that a sunroof was not in the original design specifications, though it did provide quite a bit of light.

This place was little more than a ruin, but I had a job to do. I continued on, still relearning how to walk in this alien environment. Luckily, it only seemed to take a few more paces to get the hang of it and I strode up beside my student… slash colleague… slash teacher. 'Gods, this is confusing…'

Behind us, several people stood: UNSC personnel by their insignias. "Alright everyone!" Ruby said over comms. "I'm moving you to your own comm channels with your instructor. Remember, do what they say to the letter; they've all been doing this for years."

Weiss walked up to us. "Shame we couldn't have Blake in our group too."

Ruby shrugged. "I did promise that each 'instructor'" she said with air quotes. "would only have to handle two students. Plus, you know how she is around you; we really don't need that up here."

"I see your point." She said. "So, oh great instructor of mine, what task shall we perform first?"

Ruby laughed slightly. "You should let your hair down more often, Ice Queen." She said, shaking her head. "Anyways, see that ledge?" She said, pointing behind her. Weiss and I both nodded. "Good; follow me." She said, leaping straight towards the blown-out window overlooking the hangar.

Oddly, she didn't travel in the familiar parabolic arc that I was used to on Remnant… she just floated in a straight line. "Lesson number one: gravity doesn't exist anymore… at least not in this frame of reference."

I glanced at Weiss, who just shrugged and leaped towards her leader. I followed soon after, but my jump was aimed slightly better, as I did not hit my head on the way in. My helmet automatically adjusted for the darkness we now found ourselves in, brightening everything and drawing orangeish-yellow lines around objects in the room.

Ruby shrugged. "Good enough." She said. "Now for lesson number two…" She said. Faster than I could react, she grabbed my arms, picked me up, and sent me spinning across the room. I flailed about, trying to grab anything to slow my fall.

I fought down the urge to vomit, still spinning midair.

"Gah! Ruby!" Weiss shouted over comms as the room flashed before my eyes rapidly.

"Y'know, you guys do have semblances…" she said. I immediately clued-in to what she was suggesting and pulled the ground closer to me…

…only to smack my head on the wall, forgetting I was spinning.

My aura took all the damage, but it still hurt. "Why was that necessary?" I asked, rubbing my helmet.

"Because being able to orient yourself in zero-gee is probably the best skill you can learn from this." She said. "You guys did alright, so we're moving on to the actual mission now. Follow me; we've been assigned to scout this place."

"Scout it? Don't you have a map?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, but the Covenant did a little remodeling." She said. "Plus, the front half of the ship is completely gone, and god knows what that did to the interior here." She turned around, idly pushing aside a floating chair as she moved towards a door at the back of the room. She grabbed onto the handles of the door and started pulling it to the side, visibly straining as it slowly opened half-way.

She slumped over, breathing heavily into the mic. "Damn… I forgot… how awesome… MJOLNIR is…" She said between breaths. "Okay… onwards!" She said, striding into the hallway beyond. Naturally, both Miss Schnee and I followed her.

And that's where we ran into a dead body. I sighed, knowing this would probably happen.

"Should we… do anything?" Weiss asked, looking to her leader. At first, I was surprised at her subdued reaction, but then remembered that she'd been through Atlas. If she'd been squeamish around bodies before… she wouldn't be now. I mentally sighed. 'Good gods… the stories I've heard from the Atlesian students…'

Ruby shook her head. "I've already marked his position; someone will be along to… take care of him. Eventually." She said, jerking her head down the hallway. "C'mon, let's keep moving."

Weiss stared at the body for another moment. "Yes… o- of course." She said, quickly averting her gaze and rushing to catch up with Ruby.

We continued on for another ten minutes, seeing a half-a-dozen collapsed passageways and twice as many more bodies in… various states of disassembly; only long decades of being a huntress kept my lunch firmly in my stomach on a few occasions.

As we took a turn into the only non-obstructed path present, however, we found that there was simply no floor left to go on; that and the left wall was completely gone. We all approached the edge and looked down into the hole where the floor should have been. Below us, I'd estimate around three decks, was a long-burned-out pit of black slag, no visible doors on any end. I didn't know what happened here, but this was clearly a dead end.

Ruby, however, shrugged and walked on as if nothing were wrong. Just as I was about to ask if she intended to jump the gap, she merely placed her foot on the wall and continued walking along it instead.

I fought to keep from laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Sure, I'd seen some people walk on walls from a semblance, but Miss Rose certainly didn't possess one capable of doing that. And yet, here she was casually disregarding the laws of physics.

I quickly snapped out of my stupor and gingerly followed her. An amused grin crawled onto my face as I hauled myself up onto the wall, walking as easily as I did on the floor. I resumed following her as she peered into an open door.

"Huh." She said, pausing. "There's still power in this section." I joined her in looking into the doorway at our feet and, sure enough, there were a few red lights flickering on and off inside.

"And what does that mean?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Not much, but it's worth checking out." She said before tumbling into the depths. She reappeared a moment later, her hand outstretched. "C'mon, I'll help you guys through." Some tumbling and tricky maneuvering later, and we were back on solid ground. Well, as solid as you could get on a hulk such as this, but it was at least the floor once more.

We continued on, idly glancing in the occasional room, but most were either empty or crushed. Out of the corner of my eye, though, I saw an… oddity.

A blinking white light.

At first, I thought nothing of it. Though we hadn't encountered any functioning lights in the rest of the ship, there was the occasional one in this particular section. I was just going to write it off as being nothing, but… "Halt." I said, my voice leaving no room for disobedience. My two companions did so immediately. "I've just… got to check something out."

"Make it quick; we've only got about five minutes before we should turn around."

"I've just got a hunch." I said, walking towards the light. Said light was dim, only slightly brighter than the ones around us, but it just seemed… strange. As I drew closer, I realized that it was blinking at an irregular interval; a very irregular interval. That, and it was coming from inside a fogged-up window.

Just as I was about to ask Ruby if that was normal, a hand, a Human hand, swiped across it. Inside, I saw the sunken face of a man barely illuminated by the shine of his dying flashlight, tears streaming down his face. I gasped. "Ruby, there's someone in there!"

"What?!" She shouted, running up to me and peering into the door's other window. She then pounded on the door several times, though I could not hear it. Inside, though, the man's reaction was immediate. His face morphed into shock as he pulled back slightly. Then, with a trembling hand, he pounded back. As with Ruby's strikes, I could not hear them, but I could just about feel them through the deck.

"Command, this is Sierra!" Ruby said into comms, pounding on the door once more. "We found a survivor!" The man's face broke out in overjoyed laughter.


/-\ Ruby Rose /-\


I sighed, remembering the events of yesterday. Man, getting that guy out was a pain in the ass; rescues like that usually are, but at least I was doing something... namely saving someone. Unlike now, where I was just standing behind Commander Witherson as he spoke into a microphone in the middle of Vale's central plaza.

I honestly wasn't even paying attention to what he was saying anymore; probably something about how the UNSC would do its damnedest to make sure Remnant was safe from the Covenant. He wasn't wrong, but he really needed to hire a speechwriter.

Still, at least he didn't have to wear a half-ton suit of literal dead weight. My MJOLNIR may have been cosmetically fixed, but it certainly wasn't actually fixed. It was right about at the end of his speech when I noticed an… off sound in the distance.

I frowned under my helmet, slowly moving my joints to loosen them up after a long period of standing still. Right after I'd finished, I spotted it. Some kind of small vehicle near the back was slowly making its way towards the crowd and eventually through it.

Said vehicle was moving slow enough to allow people to get out of the way, but that didn't ease my concerns any. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an ODST team move up onto a nearby rooftop, a rocket launcher in hand.

By now, the Commander had noticed it too and stopped his very dull speech. I stepped in front of him. "We need to leave." I said.

He shook his head. "Only if they're a threat."

I was about to argue, but the vehicle reached the front of the crowd and I instinctively darted between it and the commander. He may have had a bulletproof vest on underneath his dress whites, but that didn't exactly fill me with confidence.

The vehicle itself seemed to be a light excavator of some kind; somewhat reminiscent of a skid-steer I'd seen in some of the colonies. This particular vehicle, however, was heavily modified. Namely, it had several layers of metal plates haphazardly bolted on as makeshift armor, and four Atlesian laser rifles mounted to the front in place of a scoop. Thankfully, said guns were currently pointed skyward, which was the only reason why I'd heeded Witherson's request instead of getting him the hell out of dodge.

We waited for a tense moment before the engine spun down, sitting idle for a moment before a hatch on the top opened. A beaver-tailed Faunus emerged from the top, a leather cap and goggles covering his head. "Ladies and gentlemen!" He shouted. "My name is Alex Redbear, and I'm here to offer my services as a soldier of fortune!"

There were several moments of silence, however, someone in the crowd summed up the situation perfectly and succinctly. "What. The. Fuck."


(A/N) You guys have no idea how long I've been thinking about that thing. So yeah, Remnant's first tank is less of a Bob Semple and more of a "baby's first killdozer". I've got plans for that thing; ones that actually might bring tankettes back into practicality after nearly six centuries of obsolescence in Halo terms.

Anyways, the IMPORTANT ANNOUNCMENT I mentioned earlier. Some of the more long-term viewers of this fic probably know what that means, but this fic is going on hiatus. Not now; I won't leave the volume hanging like that (and I'd probably have pitchforks at my door if I didn't have the Spirit come back before then). As of right now, there's currently four more chapters to go until the volume ends; maybe three if I don't split the timeskip chapters into two. Like last time, I'll be working on something else in the meantime; hiatus does not mean discontinued. As some of you may know, I've been planning a RWBY x XCOM fic for a while now, and while I haven't started on it yet, I want to. So that'll be taking my focus for a while after Volume 2 has concluded. There we go, IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT over.

Now, there isn't really much else to go over, so on to the reviews!

Mid Level Fighter said – "Loved this one, as usual. Pyrrha figuring out who she is will take a lot more time, and maybe a few heavy fights (beating all of CRDL perhaps?). Being in love with the Oblivious Dufus was such a deep part of her that I would be honestly upset if you went any other way. And he would totally make every effort to help her come to terms with herself, even if she ended up leaving. New weapon in store for her? Using an existing weapon in a way it wasnt designes for is extremely difficult, and Milo was designed for Pyrrha's specific needs. I could see reforging it, but that might tweak JNR the wrong way.

Valkea being oblivious to the fact that she has been made is pretty hilarious to me. Does she think Ruby is just hazing her? Hopefully she eventually mellows out and becomes a functional team member (hint, hint...).

Adam having a Blake shrine is way too overly creepy, and definitely something he would do. Honestly cant wait for her to just give him a smack down. Or Yang breaking his teeth and shouting "Stop stalking my girlfriend!" Unless you werent going that way with them.

Random airship? Wondering where this is going... Team RWWVB_ personal transport/assault gunship? They honestly need a Pelican if they want to do spacey things later on, but that will have to come later, if at all.

Cloak and armor will need a bit of work to combine properly. ODST gear wont be too hard to just pin it to, but I would like to see how it works with MJOLNIR. And I agree, Crescent is not a name she would likely come up with (honeslty not sure where Monty got it from) given her circumstances. Noble is a fitting name for the Reaper's Scythe. Noble-6 was already an Angel of Death, but this version is now that literally. And... Who tries to pickpocket someone going to a school for superpowered teenagers? Hormones and stress combined with super strength, combat skills, and violent tendencies is a bad thing to mess with..."

Maybe; haven't really decided what to do with her weapon. She won't straight-up get rid of it, as technically, Pyrrha is still a part of her and would vehemently object, but she may get a different weapon she uses for general combat.

The Valkea arc gave me quite a bit of trouble in this chapter, but yeah, I also found it hilarious that she went out of her way to stay secretive when she was outed on day three. Now her arc is mostly wrapped up; just a few loose ends to tie up and we're golden.

Ikr? I just imagined him having a 4chan bedroom and it fit way too well, so why not take the 'abusive ex-boyfriend' thing RT were going for and run with it? Also, Blake is actually straight in this fic so even though I ship Bumblebee pretty hard, it won't be making an appearance in this fic. Even if it did, it wouldn't really be Bumblebee, as Yang is, well… not really Yang. Though the image is amusing.

For the cloak plus MJOLNIR, she'd probably just go with the brooch approach. Also, Monty presumably got the idea for Crescent Rose from the fact that its blade is in the shape of a crescent. Love the weapon, not so fond of the name. Then again, it seems so Ruby-y to go "uhhhh, what do I call you?" and stare at it for like an hour just thinking before Yang walks by, makes a pun, and she goes "Good enough."

Ninja6345 said – "I've been trying to figure out a way for Ruby to fix her armor somehow. We know that she doesn't have the spare parts necessary, nor the specialized equipment and resources needed to make new parts. I was thinking that girl, the one with the semblance that fixes technology, might be the solution. We know that she can't wear the armor, it would kill her, but there's no need for her to put on the suit for her semblance to work, right? I mean, if I am remembering correctly, she is a pilot and her Semblance works on her plane, so maybe she only needs physical contact? Couldn't she just hold the armor, lay a hand on it or something? Unless she needs to 'equip' the item in question in order for her semblance to work. Just a thought.

Anyway, another great chapter, looking forward to the next one."

Unfortunately, she needs to operate whatever she's fixing. That worked well enough for the helmet, but if she operates the rest of the suit… yeah, she's gonna get a bit crunchy.

Red October700 said – "Hmmm, Noble Rose sounds familiar. Hmmm, hmmmm. Ok that is just me poking some fun, hope you dont mind. But to be honest, if any charter from RWBY comes to the haloverse and become Noble six, and then back to the RWBYverse, Noble just seems to be appropriate to be in a name for somthing. So I am going to leave that at that.

Story wise, I think you did a good job with the Amber/Pyhrra moments. I as well find it a bit of a challenge to combine two personalitys for a charter that has amnisa and then got thier memory back or had another mind cramed in. Sooo I wish you all the luck you need with that kind of writing.

And with that I really dont have much else to say.

All was good and I wish you luck."

I actually came up with Noble Rose independently, but then thought "Hey, isn't that the name of Summer's weapon in that one fic?" But it just fit so well, and it's a minor detail, so I figured you wouldn't mind.


Aaaand that's it for today's chapter! Hopefully it won't be as long a wait until the next one, titled "The Grand Masquerade". See ya then!