Chapter Seven: Dark Signs

Shredded Lho leaf spilled over the console as Jaune's trembling fingers struggled to roll the flimsy paper. He took a deep breath and brought the smoke to his lips.

He took a deep drag and slowly breathed out the acid burn as his hands slowly stilled; his heart rate slowly turned back to normal. The cockpit of the Juniper was soon filled with the harsh scent of burning Lho as he closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy its taste.

Jaune could still hear the sporadic fire down the hall as his crew and his well-armed passengers went through and rid the ship of the few Grimm that had managed to get on board before the Fold. He leaned back in his chair taking another long drag and flicking the ash into a small ashtray that Nora had welded into his seat.

Jaune chuckled at the teal eyed frowny face that glared up at him from the bottom of the ashtray and made a silent thank you to Nora. He hoped she was alright, but so far no one had reported any injuries. Still, he wished someone could come to relieve him. He wanted to go see his crew, he wanted to make sure for himself that they were okay.

His hands began to shake again and he willed himself to take deep, long, calming drags. Suddenly the door opened with a hiss, Jaune turned, tense and readied, but relaxed as Ren and Ms. Snow walked in calmly, her nose wrinkling comically as the smell of burning Lho and paper wafted from Jaune's lit lhostick.

Ren was more subtle in his disapproval. His lips slightly twitched and his brow barely creased while he waved his hand to clear the smoke. Jaune shrugged, a small apologetic smile gracing his face, before stubbing out the lhostick in the tray.

"Ship's clear Jaune," Ren reported quietly.

"Anyone injured?" Jaune asked, his fingers unconsciously clenching and releasing the armrests of his chair.

Ren shook his head. "Some light bruising. Nothing serious."

Jaune breathed a long sigh of relief, as he turned to Ms. Snow who stood straight and proud. He caught sight of her rapier and pistol at her hip and frowned slightly before catching himself and stood up out of his chair, giving her a slight bow.

"Ms. Snow. I'm sorry for the Grimm. I hope that you and your friends are alright?"

"My… escorts and I assisted Master Ren and crew in repelling the Grimm," Ms. Snow sniffed, accepting his bow with a slight nod of her head. "I wanted to give you my compliments on having such an effective and well-trained crew considering the crisis. Your conduct exceeded my expectations for a crew outside of civilized space."

It was a compliment, albeit a backhanded one.

"Uh… Thanks?" Jaune's fingers tightened again as he shared a look with Ren, who merely shrugged, his way of saying: let it go.

The pale and cold woman smiled briefly, a bit of warmth chasing away the pale frost of an early spring. "I am glad that Ms. Xiao Long hired you, Captain Arc. Now, gentlemen, if you will excuse me."

She left without waiting for their reply.

Jaune sighed and sank back into his chair. He cupped his hands to his face before looking up at his first mate. "Where's Pyrrha and Nora? Were they with you?"

Ren took his customary seat beside his captain and shook his head. "Nora was with me and the passengers at the engine core. Pyrrha was guarding the hall to the cockpit with Ms. Rose. As for where they are? Pyrrha, I don't know… Nora..."

Ren smiled as he counted down on his fingers, three, two, one…

The door hissed opened as Nora bounded inside. "Well wasn't that exciting!? There were tonnes, TONNES of Grimm and Ren was gunning them down like, pew pew pew and I was cracking their skulls, while Cap'n… Cap'n you flew amazingly I'm sure. Not that I could see of course, 'cause I was too busy trying to keep the Grimm from damaging the Juniper's engines and from eating Ren; noththatheneededmyhelp, but I'm sure you were flying her really well!"

She flopped into her chair behind Ren and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Jaune had to suppress a smile as Nora hugged him tightly and caused a gasping wheeze to escape Ren's light, thin frame.

"So I think a fight like that deserves pancakes. We should make pancakes and by we, I mean you, Renny. You make the best damn pancakes out of everyone. Even the Cap'n can't match up to yours, Ren! OOOOOH! If we're doing that, Cap'n Jaune should pull out that bacon we've been saving! Pancakes and bacon!"

"That does sound grand," Pyrrha agreed tiredly opening the door for the fourth time.

She was still dressed in her armour. The bronze corset was stained dark purple with Grimm shadow blood and Jaune noticed, worryingly, that there was a dent where she had been obviously struck by a massive blow. Other than favouring her right hand, which she kept close to her chest, she seemed to be perfectly fine.

Pyrrha looked up, bright emerald meeting his worried frown. She shook her head gently, a smile stretching her lips and her eyes sparkled in the dimly light cabin. Jaune held her stare for a second, then nodded letting his unasked questions drop.

"Oh yeah!" Nora cheered as she leapt from her seat, punching the air. "This! Is! Happening!"

"I could use some real food and pancakes sound lovely." Pyrrha agreed with a fond smile as she pulled her xiphos and began wiping off the thick ichor of Grimm blood.

"I guess I'm not being given much of a choice…" Ren sighed, over dramatically.

The four friends chuckled as the tension of the last several minutes slowly eased away.

"Ms. Snow and her friends certainly earned their place to be a part of this," Nora chirped up excitedly, "'Specially that Yang! She charged a Griffon all by herself! Bowled it over down the hall!"

Ren tilted his head slightly in agreement as he eased back in his chair. "Belladonna impressed me as well. She moves quickly, and Ms. Snow was… precise with her shots and no movement wasted in her fencing."

"Ruby fights very well for one so young," Pyrrha commented as she examined her blade, searching for nicks and notches in the metal. "Could use some more discipline, but I must admit she has a lot of potential."

High praise indeed from Pyrrha.

Jaune was silent for a moment, his fingers gripping the arm of his chair. "I… I'm happy they're here. If they weren't… We'd probably be dead. I've never seen a horde of Grimm that big before."

"Well, we are near Grimm Space." Ren reasoned, "We shouldn't be surprised by a horde that big."

Jaune shook his head. "If they were coming from Grimm Space I would agree with you."

He leaned over the console and pressed a few buttons. A second later, the cabin was lit up by the dark glowing green of a hologram. "This is the reading the Juniper got just after we were pulled from the Fold by the Nevermore Grandis."

A click and the hologram was filled with dark red blotches. The three stared at it in silence for several moments.

"They… were coming from behind us," Pyrrha observed dispassionately, burying her true thoughts beneath a cloak of cool-headedness and professionalism. "They were heading to Grimm Space."

"Do...do you think this has something to do with Ms. Snow, Ruby and them, Cap'n?" Nora asked, looking over to him, while Jaune noticed her hands went instantly to Ren's shoulders.

"I don't know," Jaune answered, biting his lower lip. "But I do know we're being lied to and probably in over our heads."

"Ms. Snow is not an academic. That much I know for sure," Ren agreed with a nod. "She's too proper. Too stiff. The way she looks at us… she's a Proc noble. Military through and through."

"From what you have told me, everything in the Protectorate revolves around the military," Pyrrha added thoughtfully as she slid her xiphos back into its sheath. "It could be a holdover from that."

"I thought that too," Jaune agreed, "Until now, when I finally got a good look at her pistol."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Nora asked, "She has a fancy pea-shooter. Every Proc noble has a fancy pea-shooter. I mean have you seen how loaded some of them are? I wish I was a Proc nobless! Pancakes every night and I could really turn Magnhild into a right monster. BOOM!"

"That 'pea-shooter' is an Arma Gigas." Jaune corrected but received only blank stares from his three crew. "Right. Sorry, an Arma Gigas is a pistol given only to the Lord Protector and their closet allies and confidants. She most likely works for the House of Schnee."

"How do you know that?" Nora asked loudly, then paused and smacked herself in the head. "Riiiiight I forgot that you're a big fancy noble in Vale. You've been floating around with us space trash I completely forgot about that."

"Why though?" Pyrrha asked, cool and unflappable as always. "Why hire us? They have hundreds of ships. Why not just use one of theirs?"

"The better question is why is she travelling with two Faunus? From what I have heard the Faunus are not overly fond of the Schnees," Ren interjected, a rare frown forming as he steepled his fingers in front of his face.

"Only one is a Faunus," Pyrrha corrected with a shake of her head. "Yang is unnatural. If I had to guess I would say gene-tampering."

Both Ren and Jaune nodded. They had both come to trust Pyrrha's instincts and gut feelings over the years they had been together.

"Still…" Pyrrha continued. "Ren is right. Why is she travelling with a Faunus?"

"Or even someone who is gene-tailored. Procs tend to look down on it, they see it as something given, not, earned," Jaune added.

So many questions were being raised and none that Jaune had an answer to. He bit his lip. To be completely honest, he didn't entirely want an answer. If the House of Schnee was involved, then this could be big. And big things could lead to big cash rewards if one could play their cards right. At the same time, if the House of Schnee was involved, then this job had become that much more dangerous.

He was starting to regret not asking for more.

Should have asked for at least triple.

"I don't know," Jaune admitted as he leaned back in his chair frowning. "I don't know and I think it's best that we don't know. Keeping our heads down, not asking questions is probably the best thing we can do right now. The less we know the better. We keep quiet, we do what we were hired to do, then maybe, when we finish the contract, we can work out a better deal than the one we got right now."

The other three nodded their agreement. The issue was settled for now and more pressing things could be addressed.

Like pancakes.

Ruby awoke to strange, but wonderful, mouth-watering smells and sounds. The waft of bacon sizzling merely in a pan, the smell of hot and fresh pancakes cooking on a griddle.

Real food.

She barely stopped to dress before she rushed out of her and Weiss's shared quarters towards where the heavenly smells were coming from. Her bare feet slapped against the cold metal floor of the armoured deck as she headed to the common area.

Most of the crew and passengers were already there. Weiss, Belladonna, and Yang were listening to Pyrrha tell a story while they nurtured steaming cups of recafe. Every once in a while, they made small pleasant murmurs as they sipped freshly brewed caffeinated drinks. Nora hovered close to Ren, practically drooling as he flipped a perfect golden brown circle on the portable griddle. Beside them, Jaune watched the bacon as it sizzled in its pan, carefully flipping the pieces over to prevent them from burning at the edge.

Ruby smiled, the scene was domestic. She would miss the crew of the Juniper when everything was over. None of them were what she had expected when Yang had first told them they were hiring a smuggler's vessel and despite the extremely rocky first meeting; they had become rather close.

Or so Ruby had thought. She frowned as she looked more closely at the crews' faces. Every now and then she would catch a sideways glance from Ren as he expertly worked the griddle, as though keeping a close eye on her three friends. Jaune's cheery smile as he flipped the bacon seemed like it was almost forced, and there was a general feeling of simmering tension permeating the common room just below the surface.

"Hey, Rubes!" Yang greeted cheerfully as she scouted over to make room at the table. "Just in time sleepy-head! Cap'n Arc decided that since we ain't dead after that Grimm attack, we're getting real food."

Pyrrha's green eyes slid over to her, and Ruby felt herself almost squirming under that gaze and the mysterious woman's welcoming wasn't because she didn't like Pyrrha. Pyrrha was amazing: How she fought, how she carried herself, that warmth that seemed to flow from her. There wasn't a reason to dislike Pyrrha.

But Ruby was scared of Pyrrha. Pyrrha knew things about her, things that Ruby wasn't exactly sure she wanted to know.

"Unfortunately, we only have enough for two pancakes and two pieces of bacon each," Jaune reported sadly, not feeling the slight tension that radiated from Ruby, as he pulled the bacon from the pan and onto plasteel plates, where they were soon joined by their golden brown compatriots.

"Don't care. Real food!" Yang called back, eying each plate as they were passed out and the small bottle of maple syrup that acted as the centerpiece.

"So Ruby, how many Grimm did you bag? Bet you were nowhere near my count." Yang bragged as she chomped down on her slice of bacon, savouring the salty pork.

"I was awesome," Ruby shot back with her own challenging grin, "I was kicking butt!"

"Indeed you were," Pyrrha agreed, "she even saved my life. Didn't you, Ruby?"

The Juniper side of the table stopped, all with looks of varying degrees of disbelief. Ruby found herself shrinking in embarrassment as they turned to look at her.

"I was batted away by one of the Griffons. If Ruby hadn't been there, I would be dead." Pyrrha was nonchalant as she finished off her meal, casually waving away Ruby's whispered 'it was nothing.'

"I owe you my life," Pyrrha continued, "so thank you."

"You're welcome…" Ruby mumbled as she stared at her plate, her ears burning. She wasn't used to praise being heaped on her and she could feel her face also turning red with embarrassment. But she couldn't help the small, pleased grin tugging at her lips from spreading.

"Way to go sis!" Yang cheered, "Good to see the Academy wasn't a complete waste."

"Har har," Ruby said as she looked up and stuck her tongue out at her older sister, who merely laughed.

"Were you raised in a barn?" Weiss scolded the two.

"Pirate," Yang reminded her.

"Spacer," Ruby chimed in as the two fell to fits of giggles.

Ruby laughed all the harder when she saw Weiss roll her eyes almost fondly as Belladonna grinned with them.

Soon the crew of the Juniper joined in and it seemed like Jaune's own smile and laughter no longer seemed so practiced or forced. Ren's eyes no longer flicked over the passengers and the odd tension coming off the crew was slowly bleeding away.

Unlike most of the other meals on the Juniper where the flavourless hardtack and lumpy protein and nutrient paste were scarfed down quickly to avoid both texture and taste, the pancakes and the bacon were stretched for as long as each individual could in order to savour their first taste of real food in ten long days.

As Ruby stood up to leave, she was stopped by Pyrrha laying a gentle, but firm hand on her shoulder. Pyrrha nodded for Ruby to follow her and then stepped out of the common room. Despite being unnerved by what Pyrrha represented, Ruby was curious, and after several minutes of indecision and second-guessing; Ruby stood up and followed after the crimson-haired woman.

She found Pyrrha standing outside of her room, arms crossed and leaning against the door. She raised a hand, stopping Ruby and looked directly into her eyes. Gone was Pyrrha's polite, open friendliness. In its place was a frigid chill and a not-so-passive threat of violence.

"What I have to tell you, cannot leave outside this door. Swear to me on your very life that you will not breathe a word of this to anyone."

Ruby licked her lip and swallowed. "I swear."

Pyrrha shook her head and held out a knife. "In blood."

Ruby hesitated, then slowly reached for the knife. Its craftsmanship was astounding. It was perfectly balanced and razor-sharp, with symbols inlaid in gold running up its hilt and a circumpunct stamped into the base of the blade

She held out her palm and with a quick slash parted the meat and muscle. Dark crimson blood pooled in Ruby's palm as she held it out. Small splashes dripping onto the cold metal deck.

"I swear," Ruby whispered, wincing at the pain running up her arm.

Pyrrha nodded curtly and ushered into her room, locking the door behind them.

Unlike the rest of the ship, which felt lived in and homey, one that was crowded with Ren's charms and trinkets, Nora's paintings and even Jaune's knitting, Pyrrha's quarters were barren and cell-like. Outside of a small desk, a chair, and her cot, which was bolted into one of the walls, tbere was nothing beyond the bare metal plating.

Pyrrha glanced at her hand. "Come here. Let me bandage that for you."

Ruby winced as she held out her still bleeding hand, which Pyrrha took in a gauntleted hand. Carefully, she wrapped a clean, white cloth around the oozing cut pulling tight.

"Take a seat. We have a lot to talk about." Pyrrha gestured to the chair as she took her own on the cot, still watching Ruby with a piercing gaze. "But you have to realize… I am still bound by oaths, there are some things… many things I cannot tell you."

"I thought you were going to explain everything?" Ruby complained with a frown as she took her seat across from the other woman. "That's not really fair."

Pyrrha shook her head, her voice as stern as steel. "There is such a thing as knowing too much. Of learning too much. I will explain some things, enough things I think. Enough for you to have an understanding. But not everything, simply because explaining everything is never a good idea."

Pyhrra's voice carried such finality that Ruby knew arguing would be futile. She took a breath and held it for a second before allowing it to ease out of her lungs.

"Is this what's stopping you and Jaune?" Ruby asked after a long moment, looking up at the taller woman.

To her slight amusement, Pyrrha went bright red as she struggled to mask it.

"I… I…" Pyrrha stammered for several seconds before she took a breath and schooled her features into a hard mask of indifference. "What I may or may not feel for Jaune has little bearing in this. I have a duty, I have oaths and I have secrets that I must keep from him. No matter what I may want."

"But you could!" Ruby protested as she tried to suppress a smug snicker at the normally unflappable woman. "You two make a great couple and I'm sure he has…"

"Ruby," Pyrrha cut her off sternly. "I have oaths. I have secrets that I keep from him for as much as his own safety as I do to fulfill my own duty. What you're suggesting simply can't happen."

Ruby wanted to argue but realised it was rather futile. Pyrrha's mind was set.

"Okay. So what can you teach me?" Ruby asked after several long moments of silence.

Pyrrha's stern face slowly faded to one of apologetics as her left hand began to cradle her right, playing with the edge of her gauntlet. Several seconds passed in silence as Pyrrha opened her mouth, only to close it once again.

"I'm sorry Ruby," she apologised, "I'm not… I'm not used to this. If you had been… Well, let's just say it would have been an elder speaking to you, not me, if circumstances..."

"An elder?" Ruby asked as she leaned in, hoping for some tidbit from this woman's past, but Pyrrha shook her head.

"Tell me. What do you know about Souls?" Pyrrha finally asked, unbuckling her gauntlet.

"Uhhh… I don't really know?" Ruby was confused, what did this have to do with anything. "I've never really thought about it. I guess… that some believe that we all have one? That's it's a part of us?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Common themes and, to a point, mostly correct." Then she leaned closer, almost conspiratorial. "What do you know of the Grimm?"

"Uhh… about as much as everyone else I guess?" Ruby said with an absent-minded shrug, "They're monsters. They come from beyond Wild Space and they kill everything. What does that have to do with souls?"

Pyrrha sagged a little and smiled sadly. "Everything. You see, Ruby, the human soul is made of two parts. Creation, which fuels our joy, hope, love, serenity, inspiration and awe. The other is Destruction: our hate, anger, fear, lust and sorrow. These make us human and when we die, our souls are split in two. Creation returns to the beginning of Creation itself to build upon has been laid."

Her smile slowly withered away and she leaned back. "Destruction is cast off, where it festers and rots. Where it hungers. Eventually it will take form as a being of hatred, rage, sorrow, despair and hunger. Once it has form it will set itself loose on the galaxy as a creature of Grimm, seeking to gorge itself on our emotions, our hatreds, fears, anger and loss. That is what the creatures of Grimm are, Ruby. They are us."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, not sure if she believed what she was being told. She of course had heard a thousand different theories on the Grimm. Ranging from the purely scientific to the semi-religious. What Pyrrha was spouting seemed to be entirely theological in nature… but then again considering the nature of the Grimm... the theological sometimes made as much sense as the scientific.

"So what does that have to do with me?" Ruby asked, trying to keep the skepticism from her voice.

Pyrrha took a breath and slowly slipped her gauntlet off her right hand. "Because, Ruby Rose You have silver eyes. You do not have a soul."

Ruby's eyes widened at the sight of her hand. The flesh was a pale green and flaking away. Yellow bone could be seen in small patches where her skin had completely died and rotted away. Her hand looked as though its life had been drained away.

"Wh...Wha...What did that?" Ruby trembled, a memory of them shaking hands that first day shot into her mind. "That was… that was me, wasn't it?"

Pyrrha nodded sadly as she slipped her gauntlet back on. "I had a suspicion, but I needed to be sure."

"I… I'm a monster," Ruby whispered, still staring at Pyrrha's now covered hand.

"No." Pyrrha was firm. "Far from it. If anything, you are the greatest weapon we have against the Grimm."

"What do you mean?"

"Because you have no soul, you project an aura of sorts. That aura seeks out souls and feasts on them."

"Not doing a good job convincing me that I'm not a monster," Ruby chuckled sadly before her widened in realization, "Is that why people tend to keep away from me? Or look at me like I'm sort of filth?"

"Yes. What they feel is you feeding on their souls." Pyrrha held up a finger before Ruby could interrupt. "Not enough to do them harm but enough to make them wary of you. They won't know why and that dislike and distrust may manifest in different ways. For some it may present itself as an ill feeling, or a suspicion. For someone like… me, who has a very active soul, who has been directly touched by the gift of Creation, you can be deadly. But eventually your aura will learn who is friend and who is foe."

"How are you not in pain then? And how does that affect the Grimm?" Ruby asked cautiously. Her fingers tightening around the hem of her combat skirt.

"For two reasons, the first is because I still have the gift of Destruction in my soul." Pyrrha explained, "Your aura eventually will recognize me as human. The second is because I know how to harden my soul to your aura. Now this doesn't stop you from being painful to me. I can feel it peeling little pieces from me even now, but it is something I can manage."

"Then you should get away from me!" Ruby cried, trying to scoot the chair back, hoping the few feet between them would lessen the hurt she was causing.

"Ruby, pain is an old friend of mine." Pyrrha smile dripped bitterness that she quickly tried to hide. "The real danger comes in skin to skin contact. Creating a direct connection to us… well you've seen my hand. Though it has started to heal, but will take much more time.

"Besides you are too important for me to leave. For you see when you get close to a Grimm, your aura will begin to feed off that Grimm's pure destruction and negativity. As you remain near it you will drain it of its strength and form." Pyrrha explained gently reaching out to place a gauntleted hand on her shoulder. "If it stays in your aura long enough, it will die. And unlike when a regular person slays a Grimm, where its soul will just return to Grimm Space and eventually become a Grimm again, you will have completely destroyed it. Mind, body and soul."

Pyrrha stood up and picked up Ruby's hand. "You are far from a monster, Ruby. You are our shield against the monsters who seek to overrun and devour humanity."

The planet that Belladonna had led them to was about what Weiss had expected:A world barely clinging to life, in a dead system.

A supernova had swallowed its inner planets millennia ago, leaving only three gas giants to circle the dying star. Their target was the largest moon circling around the first gas giant.

The preliminary scans read normal , stagnant algae seas produced enough oxygen to support life and the tectonics were surprisingly stable for a moon that was tidal locked to the planet. The only issue was low level radiation that prevented the Juniper from gathering anything more detailed than that basic scratch information.

"I can put her down here," Captain Arc indicated a low spot down near the edge of one of the seas on the hologram. "We can take on water there while you and your friends do your Grimm hunt, Ms. Snow. Pyrrha can go with you if you want the extra hand."

"No, thank you Captain." She studied the map intently and frowned. Where Arc wanted to land was nowhere near where Belladonna had reported the White Fang encampment.

"Captain, that area is… Ill suited for my study. Perhaps more to the north. She gestured to an area by an inland sea. "You can still collect your water while we look for suitable specimens to gather data from."

The man shrugged and readjusted their bearing. "Whatever you say Ms. Snow. You're the one paying."

"I must admit," Weiss said begrudgingly, "Your crew and your ship have exceeded my expectations so far on this journey. I'll make sure to add a suitable reward to your pay, Captain Arc. Once we return to Protectorate Space, of course."

She turned and left before he could respond and went back to her quarters to wait for the landing. It wouldn't be long now. A single day's march from the landing zone and they would see if what Belladonna had told them was true.

"Come on Weiss-cream! Keep up!" Yang called cheekily from out ahead.

Weiss growled irritably as she stumbled over loose rocks coated with green slime. The moon was a pit of green and grey. They had taken off at first light, making good time at first, but then Yang had taken charge and now all were struggling to keep up with the gene-tailored woman, who bounded leaps ahead of them.

"Yang, you need to cut the pace a little," Belladonna gasped as she ran up the large hill, "And be quiet! The White Fang probably have patrols out."

Yang merely chuckled as she stopped to let the three catch up. "Doubtful. There was nothing in system when we got here. They probably think they're safe being so close to Grimm Space. You'd have to be pretty crazy to try and find out what a bunch of human-hating psychopaths are doing all the way out here."

Despite herself Weiss found herself laughing quietly at the self-deprecating humour as she creased the ridge. Behind her, Ruby bounded up with no issues, her rifle slung down at her side.

"How much farther?" she asked quietly scanning the horizon.

"Not much," Yang answered as she scanned the data slate. "I suggest we climb down and look for some shelter. Camp out until night, then make our way to the White Fang encampment."

"Agreed." Weiss nodded.

"While night will help… Many Faunus tend to have very good night vision," Belladonna warned, "Don't fall into the trap of believing that since you can't see them; they can't see you."

Yang grunted, "Not a lot of cover beyond the odd rock formation around here. I'm gonna take any advantage I can get."

The four made their descent, Weiss falling back to walk to with Ruby. Ever since the pancake night, Ruby had been quiet and withdrawn. Weiss was worried, though she was loth to admit it outright, she missed Ruby's unending cheerfulness and optimism. Ruby had become a very dear friend over the past few weeks she had known the silver-eyed spacer.

"Ruby, are you okay? You've been rather quiet over the last day or so," Weiss prodded gently.

"Huh?" Ruby looked up blinking, then laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Yeah sorry just been… Just been thinking about stuff. I'm okay. Really."

"You know… I may not be great at this whole friendship thing and being open. But I want to try." Weiss wrapped her arm around Ruby's shoulder. "I'm here if you need to talk."

Ruby's smile turned sad, but she nodded. "Thanks, Weiss, it's just really personal okay? It's something I have to deal with right now. I can't even talk to Yang about it just yet."

"It has to do with that, doesn't it?" Weiss looked down at Ruby's bandaged hand.

She nodded. "It does. I'm sorry Weiss, I really am, but I can't say anymore. I promised Pyr…"

Her eyes went wide with panic and her mouth snapped shut.

"Pyrrha did this?" Weiss almost cried as she pointed at Ruby's hand. "What were you two doing?"

"Weiss! Please!" Ruby pleaded, her silver eyes wide with panic as she made a shushing gesture. "I can't talk about it. I promised her. Please! Just let it go."

Weiss glared at Ruby worryingly before she finally nodded. "Okay. Okay. I'll let it go. But promise me you'll talk to me if you need to, okay?"

Ruby's shoulders sagged and she visibly relaxed. "I will Weiss. I promise I will."

Night had fallen as Jaune walked out from the Juniper. The air was cold and stank of salt and algae, but the stars were bright and beautiful. He lit a lhostick and took a deep breath of burning, acidic smoke.

"You're worried about them, aren't you?" Pyrrha asked from behind him.

He yelped in surprise and nearly dropped his lhostick as Pyrrha stepped out from under the ship. A small smile playing across her lips as she took the lho from his hand and took a drag.

"I'm more worried about what kind of trouble they could be getting us into," Jaune corrected. Though that wasn't entirely true. He liked them for the most part. Ruby was adorable and eager, Yang was fun and loud, Weiss dignified and intelligent, while Belladonna was quiet but contemplative.

He didn't want them as enemies, and despite his own recent advice about keeping them at arm's length, Jaune felt as though he was indebted to them. They had helped to save the Juniper. They had helped to save his crew, the only family he had out here in this forsaken end of space.

"Nothing that we haven't dealt with before," Pyrrha countered with a fond smile as she passed him back his lhostick. "They're good people Jaune. You did the right thing by getting us this job. You'll see."

"I'm sure. Thanks Pyrrha." He took a drag then dropped it onto the stones and ground it out. "I'm going to take a little patrol. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll be coming back. I could use the company."

Pyrrha looked regretful as she shook her head. "I have to help Nora with the water. Be careful out there."

Jaune tried not to let his disappointment show as he picked his rifle up from where it lay on the ground. "I'll be back in an hour or so then."

Jaune cursed as he slipped on a algae-covered stone, but managed to catch himself before falling face-first into the rocky ground.

What a planet.

It was a stinking ball of green out in the middle of nowhere. But you could never be too careful, such was the first and only law of Wild Space.

Still, there wasn't anything out here. At least, nothing more than rocks and stinking algae. He was just about to turn back when he heard the familiar sound of several rifles being racked, as a half-dozen or so shadows lept from cover, weapons drawn and all of them pointed at him.

"Well, look who we got here lads." A large bear Fanuas said eagerly from behind his bone-white Grimm mask. "A filthy human on a stroll. What luck."

Jaune quickly raised his hands and let Crocea Mors drop to the ground.

Well… shit.

Well shit! Blake thought bitterly as she fired off another round at the White Fang who chased after them.

They had made it to the encampment, keeping low and to the shadows, but the White Fang had not been as lax as Yang had believed they might have been. They had barely gotten within a hundred metres when the alarm had sounded, and now they were being chased by over a dozen White Fang.

Rifle fire skipped after her and Blake cursed as she felt several shots fly by, missing her by only a hare's breath. She ducked behind a large boulder, just as Rose sprang from her own cover and fired a burst that brought a Fang member down like a sack of meat.

"I got you, Belladonna! Move!" Ruby cried as she fired another burst, before ducking to cover.

Blake didn't need to be told twice, as she leapt up and ran towards where Yang and the Schnee had taken cover… Both of whom were squabbling about what to do next.

"We should stay and fight," Yang was yelling over the gunfire. "We can't lead them back to the Juniper, and besides, we can take em!"

"No we can't, Yang!" Weiss shot back. "We're outnumbered and outgunned. We need to get back to the Juniper and get help."

"Or we could help Rose get over here!" Blake snapped, firing off several rounds, causing the Fang to duck.

"Point," Yang conceded as her gun roared and spat fire.

Blake watched as Rose sped back towards them, leaping over rocks and diving behind the large rock they were using as cover to join them.

"I think we made them mad," Rose panted as she reloaded.

"You don't say," Blake snarked as she fired off several rounds at a Fang member running towards them, catching him in the face and dropping him.

"So what do we do?" Rose asked them as she laid prone with her rifle in hand, waiting for a target to appear.

"We should fight!"

"Withdraw."

Both the Schnee and Yang said at the same time, starting the argument all over again.

"I don't think this is going to help…" Rose was trying to interject.

Blake ignored them, her eyes narrowing. She was one of those Faunas who had that vision she had warned her friends about, and she could see quite clearly. The rifle fire had slacked off, and the Fang had vanished back into the night.

"Quiet." Blake hissed. Silencing the three. "Something's coming."

'Something' wasn't quite right; it was someone.

It was a woman dressed in the same style of armour as that Nikos woman, only hers was a dark red as opposed to Nikos's bright, polished bronze. The corset hugged her curves and her long, lush black hair fell in waves across her shoulders.

Most disturbing of all was the large beastly figure of a Beowulf Grimm at her side. Its muzzle open, its long, clawed hands flexing with eagerness. Its dark red eyes fixed on them. Then another pair of hate-filled eyes appeared.

Then another.

And another.

Soon dozens of hateful, crimson eyes were glowing in the dark behind the raven-haired woman.

"That… That… That's not possible," Yang whispered.

"She's controlling the Grimm." The Schnee was stunned, her pistol fell from her grasp.

Then the woman raised her hand.

A/N: Cinder Fall steps into the scene. Also there shall be a slight hiatus as I will be gone for the next two weeks so the next chapter will be uploaded March 6th. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please drop a review!