LOCATION: REMNANT – SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE VALE –
/OCT-12-2533 SOL/ 0738 Universal Time/
Morning came slowly for Yang. She had wished sleep would ease her troubled mind. Instead, she laid in her bed, barely able to sleep due to the persistent thoughts of the fall of Beacon Academy. Her take away from that night being the loss of her right arm, and the feeling of abandonment from Blakes retreat to only the Twins knows where. How could she just run away like that? How could she leave when the team was at it's weakest? To top things off, Weiss had gone back to Atlas at the request of her father, leaving team RWBY split in three.
Yang sighed in frustration as she grabbed a pillow with her left arm and planted it over her own face. She was not the type of person to let things bother her, but things had changed since that night. What was the point of it all?
Yang had imagined herself graduating Beacon as a renown Huntress. Known to others for her beauty and badassery. But now, there was no Beacon, there was no graduation, and her unbeatable record had been cut through. How could they be expected to protect the world, when an entire Academy full of the world's greatest warriors was destroyed in a single night? Worst of all, they were supposed to be the hope of humanity! But how could they give hope when their first real test in their lives as huntresses left the members of her team scattered. Yang felt abandoned, and her morale, her pride… both were severely damaged.
At least she had Ruby.
A bit of hope dwelled within Yang at the thought. It wasn't bright, but it smoldered in her chest like hot coals. At least she had her younger sister, and right now Ruby needed her. She was supposed to be the big sister after all.
With that thought, Yang took the pillow off of her face and slung it down next to her side. It was time to get up and go check on her sister. Once she was back on her feet, Yang looked out her bedroom window.
Snow had started to fall a couple days back, gently blanketing the world around her home. It was beautiful to say the least, and it gave Yang reason to allow a small smile. The smile quickly disappeared when the thought of Weiss crept into her head, a thought Yang quickly pushed away. She couldn't afford to get stuck thinking about her team right now, her sister needed her.
With that, Yang stripped herself of her pajamas and put on her day clothes, and walked out of the room towards the one Ruby was staying in. As she approached, she heard a soft thump come from the room. 'Sounds like she's up' Yang thought to herself.
What greeted Yang as she made it to the threshold of Ruby's' door, was the sight of her sister packing her field bag with clothes and other small essentials. Ruby was currently struggling to squeeze some spare clothes into the bag with slight difficulty. Judging from the sleeping mat that was tightly rolled up next to the bag and the numerous loaded magazines for her weapon, Ruby wasn't packing for a simple hike. She was planning on leaving. Yang felt several emotions well up inside her head, making her heart ache. Confusion, anger, sadness, and worry were the first to hit her. But she did her best to remain composed. "You plan on going somewhere?"
Ruby immediately snapped her head up from her struggle to look at Yang in surprise. Her clothes popping out of her bag. "Ahh! Yang! Ummm, I uhh…"
"Where are you going?" Yang tried the question again, giving her dork of a sister a chance to compose herself and answer.
"Jaune, Nora, Ren and I are going to Mistral to see if we can find out anything about the people who attacked us." Ruby replied as she began the process of stuffing her pack over again. "The others are already here, and I don't want to sit and wait any longer."
"Ruby."
"We should make it there after a couple of weeks of walking."
"Ruby!" Yang raised her voice slightly to catch her sister's attention.
"Yes Yang?"
"Are you sure you're ready to go out? You've been having nightmares almost every night since we got here. You barely get any sleep! And to top it off, are you really ready to be going after the people who did this to us?" Yang didn't realize it, but she was quickly losing her calm. This whole ordeal combined with the lack of sleep seeping in through the cracks of her composure. Yang caught herself. She was scared, the fear of losing her sister and even more of her friends was plain as day. She herself, the indominable Yang Xiao Long, or at least she had thought was now timid in the face of danger. That fear only aggravated her frustration and anger towards herself.
"I don't know. I don't know what to say or what to think right now. And I don't know how ready we will be when we get there. But we have to go. We have to find the people responsible before more people get hurt." Ruby's confidence slowly grew as she spoke. To tell the truth, she was still forming the plan in her head. What she had said was true. She didn't know if or when they would be ready. She didn't know how long it would take or how to accomplish her goal. But at least she had a place to start, and some friends to go with. To Ruby, this was a matter of protecting the people she swore to protect the moment she wanted to become a Huntress. And even if she didn't have the answers, she'd find them. She had to.
Yang sighed. She was too defeated to argue, with her sister of all people. But deep down, she knew Ruby was right. But there was nothing Yang could do. Her right arm was gone, and so were many of her friends. She felt helpless. "Do what you want Ruby." With that, Yang turned and walked out of the room. Her interest in checking on her sister lost.
Ruby watched Yang leave the room in concern. She worried for her sister. But more so she worried for others. The fall of Beacon had hit her hard, but she didn't want others to face the same fate. Her dream came to mind, the horrors she saw within it far surpassed what happened. But it confused her more than anything and drove her to want to prevent another attack. But what did the dream even mean? Heretics? None of it made sense.
Ruby quickly finished packing before clipping the straps on her pack and putting it on. She grabbed Crescent Rose from atop her desk and quickly made for the door, looking back at the letter she had left on the desk for her father who was out for the day.
Making her way into the kitchen where the front door was, Ruby felt determination rise within herself. They were doing the right thing, and she wasn't going to stop for anything. She tried with difficulty to push her thoughts of her sister out of her mind and focused on their task at hand. Once in the kitchen, she saw Ren and Nora conversing near the door. Something they put on pause upon seeing Ruby. Jaune was leaning on the table in the center of the room. He had been waiting for her to get ready and stood straight as Ruby entered.
"You ready to go?" Jaune asked Ruby. It was good to see her again, he and what remained of team JNPR had been staying in a nearby town off the island that Ruby and her family lived on. Only arriving early that morning so they could leave for Mistral together.
"Yeah." Ruby replied. "We need to find the people responsible for Beacon and stop them before they can do any more damage."
"We're with you Ruby." Jaune reassured her with a smile.
"Yang isn't coming?" Ren noticed, taking a slight step forward. He was obviously concerned for his friend.
"No, she is staying behind to help dad and recover."
Ren only hummed in response. Nora quickly bounced up behind him.
"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Nora turned and swung open the door quickly, wanting to begin their long journey ahead.
With that, Ruby and her new-found team began their long and arduous journey to Haven Academy in Mistral. Unbeknownst to them, a crow following their group at a distance.
LOCATION: UNSC COLONY ON LUNA – UNSC SOL SECONDARY NAVAL SHIPYARD
/OCT-25th-2533 SOL/ 1346 Universal Time/
Lieutenant Oliver of the 12th Strike Fleet sat near the head of a long conference table located in the meeting room of the Secondary Naval Shipyard Facility on the Luna Colony. A lot had happened to the LT since his meeting on the top of the diner 4 months ago. Admiral Mitchell had taken him under his wing as an aid and right hand. LT Oliver held all the responsibilities of being the Executive Officer of the Admirals Flagship the UNSC Wayward Son but received next to none of it's perks. The Admiral gave him the freedoms he required, but for the most part held Oliver on a tight leash. He was there to learn, that was that.
Sitting at the head of the table and to his right was the Admiral himself. The man sat semi relaxed and leaning back as he scanned over a document pertaining to the status of the 12th fleet. His chin in one hand and the document in the other.
To the right of the Admiral sat the true Executive Officer of the UNSC Wayward Son. Commander Grace, Jackline was a woman of middle age. Her black hair was put up into a neat bun and her dress uniform pressed nicely for parade. She was the shining example of a naval officer. Something Oliver had come to expect when working with officers working directly under Admiral Mitchell.
Admiral Mitchell had taught the Lieutenant many things in the span of 4 months. One such thing was being constantly aware of the condition of the ships under his command. In fact, LT Oliver had been the one to type up the document the ADM was now reading. What made the LT slightly nervous was the fact that he new the Admiral wasn't just looking at the information the LT had put in front of him, he was also scrutinizing it for errors. Another lesson Oliver had learned from the Admiral was that mistakes were harshly punished, while doing the right thing was expected as part of the job. Which is why Oliver allowed himself a small bit of pride when the Admiral closed the report and praised him. "Good work Lieutenant. I expected nothing less." ADM Mitchell placed the report on the desk in front of him.
"I have a good teacher Sir." Oliver replied nodding towards Commander Grace. The Commander gave a small smile in response.
"Lieutenant, you should know by now being a brown nose doesn't get you anywhere on my ship." The Admiral warned jokingly.
They were interrupted when the main doors to the conference room opened to allow a group of new comers in. As expected for this meeting, they were all officers save for three individuals, a Sergeants Major, Oliver's ONI handler, and a civilian.
The first officer to enter was a Marine Colonel who Oliver knew to be Col. McDaniels, Arthur D. He was the commanding officer for the UNSC 24th Marine Regiment currently stationed on Mars. He wore his dress uniform along with his sidearm. To say the man was decorated was an understatement, and the war they were currently fighting did wonders to thicken his personnel file. From what he read, Oliver took the Col. to be similar to Admiral Mitchell. Both were experienced officers, and both had records for running a tight organization.
The officer following the Col. was a Lieutenant Colonel by the name of Kenneths, Martin. LT. Oliver knew him as the Commanding Officer of the ODST battalion attached to the 24th Regiment. He answered to ONI and to Col. McDaniels, that was all. The man had black ink on almost every paper in his file. But Oliver knew he was a reputable man and a renown officer. This meeting was certainly going to be one for his books, having these two at the table. 'Oh, the stories I would tell back home if this weren't classified.' Oliver thought to himself.
The Sergeants Major was the Regimental Sergeants Major of the 24th Regiment, SgtMaj Jackson. He acted as the bridge between the Officers and the Enlisted personnel within the 24th. His years of experience and expertise were invaluable to the operation at hand. Especially since the coming mission would require the best they could find.
The civilian was the Director of Operations for the UNSCs Secondary Lunar Shipyard. He would be the man doing the most talking today. Finally, there was LT. Olivers ONI handler. And as per usual, the man took to wearing his casual brown coat and black slippers. Oliver had learned a little about his handler as they interacted. The man had been around the block and serving with Section III for quite some time. He never specified how long, just said it was a while. One thing he had made clear to Oliver and the Admiral however is that he valued his comfort over most things. That didn't mean he wouldn't get his hands dirty or avoid hardship, it just meant that no matter how formal the occasion, his slippers and coat were his dress of choice. In the agent's words, he simply hated uniforms. They stood out, and they were uncomfortable.
As the door closed behind the group and everyone began taking their seats, the meeting could finally begin.
Admiral Mitchell was the first to speak, "Good afternoon everyone. I trust your trip here was a smooth one?"
Everyone gave nods of agreement as the Admiral continued.
"Good, I'd also like to remind everyone that everything said in this meeting today is considered highly classified. Code November Black. So, everything we say and do here today stays in this room." Once the Admiral saw that there were no objections he smiled and pressed a small button on the tables control consol.
The lights in the room dimmed slightly and a projection hologram appeared floating in the center of the table catching everyone's attention. The image of a Marathon Class Heavy Cruiser rotated slowly for all to see.
"I brought you all here today because each of you will be playing a major role in a coming operation designated Operation Indianapolis. It will involve my 12th Strike Fleet and your 24th Marine Regiment." Admiral Mitchell directed the last part towards the three senior Marines in the room.
"I'd also like the three of you to meet our ONI representative for this Op." Admiral Mitchell directed the groups attention to Oliver's handler, who was currently leaning back completely relaxed. A quirky smile was planted upon his face as he gave a nonchalant wave to everyone in the room.
"Finally, we have our host here." The Admiral gestured towards the civilian in the suit. "Mr. Rogers is the current Director of Operations here at this facility. He will be giving us a status brief on the operational capacity of our newest ship. I wanted everyone to be present for this as we will all want to be well versed. We cannot afford any mistakes. Does anyone have any questions?"
Col. McDaniels lifted his hand off the table in order to get the attention of the room. "Yes, I do. In the briefing packet you sent out, you mentioned our objective for this Operation and what our tasks would be aboard the ship. However, you didn't give very many specifics. Can you clarify? I'd also like to ask how long we are expecting this deployment to be?"
Admiral Mitchell nodded to the Col. "There is no specified length of time that we will be deployed. The matter of the fact is we are going to be out there for as long as we need to be. And as for your general mission, I apologize the packet wasn't very informative. You and your Marines have been made the ground strike force for our mission. The ODSTs especially will be running smash and grab Ops with every Covenant target we hit. As for the rest of your Regiment, they're job is to act as a kind of small and temporary occupational force should the need arise. We aren't entirely sure what we are going to find, so we want to be ready."
Oliver could tell that the Admirals answer seemed to satisfy the Marine Colonel…mostly. "Are there any other questions?"
The room remained silent. "Very well, Mr. Rogers you have the floor.
Mr. Rogers rose from his chair, "Thank you Admiral. Now if everyone could direct their attention to the hologram we have before us. This is the 12th Strike Fleets newest addition, the UNSC Forever Vigilant, and from what I understand will be a new home for many of you here." The man looked at Admiral Mitchell, "And I'm proud to announce that we are ahead of schedule."
"Ahead of schedule? This is good to hear!" Admiral Mitchell said with a pleased tone.
"Well, ONI did give us some help. And I must say that she is one of the finest warships we have built." Mr. Rogers said. "Now, I understand that you're intending to use this ship for prolonged Ops cut off from UNSC supply lines. So, we upgraded from the standard on board fabrication facilities. Now, you should have the capability to fabricate almost every part you may need to keep the ship running. This includes everything from engine parts, to armor plating, and even the kitchen sink. Granted, you can't fabricate parts without material. So we also had to install basic foundries and other refinement facilities so that you can take raw material and make it usable. To accompany this, we have given you a squadron of harvesting drones whose sole purpose is to gather the needed material."
LtCol. Kenneths chimed in immediately. "Aren't we supposed to be a hit and run force? Where are we going to find the time to gather resources and use these drones without putting our fleet at risk?"
Mr. Rogers smiled. "Good question. You won't be deploying these near Covenant home worlds. The purpose is for your fleet to be able to stop within or near most asteroids and use the drones to harvest what they can find from there."
It was Admiral Mitchells turn to pitch in. "So not only could we temporarily hide the fleet, but we can use what little time we have to keep ourselves afloat and lick our wounds. Smart thinking."
"Thank you, Admiral." Mr. Rogers went on to press a small button on his side of the table. The result was the hologram magnifying the lower decks of the ships hull. "As you can see, we made several modifications to the Marathons original HEV launching system as well. We decided to make it more compact in order to help make additional room for previously mentioned facilities. As a result, there are fewer launching ports than the standard. The upgrade, however, is the increased rate at which pods can be prepped and launched. The result balances out for a standard launch rate but allows you to house the facilities needed to produce additional pods and repair those you recover. Further details are included in your data pads."
Mr. Rogers hit another button to bring the focus towards the bow of the ship. "This one applies more towards the Navy side of the house, but I'm sure the Marines will appreciate it as well. Admiral, I understand the initial schematics planned for the UNSC Forever Vigilant to house two of the standard Mark IX heavy coil Magnetic Accelerator Cannons. However, we managed a small breakthrough in energy management and output due to her new engines. Your MACs are the same, but they should have a higher rate of fire. Just try not to melt the coils."
Commander Grace looked to the Admiral with a shrug. "I can always appreciate more firepower."
The Admiral gave a pleased hum, nodding for Mr. Rogers to continue.
Mr. Rogers did, "We have also added a new Virtual Reality Wargames Training Facility for your Marines to train and prepare for combat. Thanks to ONI, each Marine and ODST will be issued their own equipment to interface with the system."
"Enjoy the gift." Oliver's handler chimed in with a smirk.
Another button hit, another section of the ship magnified, this time the middle and lower decks forward of the center point. "The last major upgrade I'd like to directly point out is for the Marines and ODSTs primarily. We've greatly improved the birthing for everyone on board."
A chuckle escaped the Sergeants Major, "So the taxi got a new back seat?"
This earned a raised eyebrow from the three naval officers in the room.
"Essentially, yes. Sailors, Troopers, and Marines alike will now have better facilities. I dare say they even exceed the prior standards set before the war."
It was well known to everyone in the room that due the UNSC had to sacrifice many of their pre-war birthing standards after the initial conflicts of the war. The sad reason behind it was that warships were being destroyed almost faster than they could be made. The result was a dire need to produce ships at a higher rate, but at the cost of sacrificing luxury to reduce build time.
"How much better are we talking?" The Sergeants Major was taking a particular interest in this topic.
"The Vigilant sports a modern on-board gym, comfortable sleeping quarters for officers and senior enlisted, a good-sized galley that can feed about 400 at a time, a proper head with heated showers, and finally a decent recreation center to boost morale. This fails to mention the other individual facilities designated for Officers, Senior Enlisted, and Enlisted respectively."
"You're making my new ship sound like a cruise liner." Admiral Mitchell chimed in. However, I am grateful for the detail and effort that was put into building her.
"This ship became a bit of a passion project for me after you submitted the request Sir."
"I can tell."
Mr. Rogers thought for a moment in reminisce before suddenly snapping back to the conversation. "Oh! I almost forgot to mention. Thanks to the efforts of ONI Section III, your new 'Cruise liner'" Mr. Rogers threw up air quotes with the new title. "will be coming with its own Smart AI." This took everyone in the room by surprise, save for Oliver's handler who just winked.
"This is excellent news!" Exclaimed Admiral Mitchell. "What's the catch?"
"No catch Admiral, an Operation of this importance and scale requires the intelligent digital touch. Section III saw that and began work to acquiring one for you the moment we decided to see this through." Oliver's Handler stated.
Admiral Mitchell didn't really trust that statement, but he had no choice but to do so. "Thank you."
"One last question for you Admiral, who will be assuming command of the UNSC Forever Vigilant?" The question came from Col. McDaniels.
Admiral Mitchel looked to Oliver as he responded. "I am appointing Lieutenant Oliver as Commanding Officer of the Forever Vigilant."
Col. McDaniels looked as though he was about to protest, but the Admiral cut him at the knees.
"He has plenty of background experience in the operations and command of Heavy Cruisers. Having served on a similar Halcyon Class as its Operations Officer for some time before being placed under my direct teachings in preparation of this Op. He has been under my tutelage for 4 months now and will be tested before, and during Sea Trials. I understand your concern Colonel. However, I can assure you he has an excellent performance record."
"Yes, Sir. Although, I ask that I be kept in the loop about his training and performance. These are my Marines that I will be entrusting to compliment his ship."
"Very well. I will have detailed reports sent to you regularly." The Admiral understood the Colonels concern. He would have requested the same if it were he in that position. But Admiral Mitchell had faith in the young Lieutenant. 'Just another report I have to make.' Thought the Admiral to himself.
"Thank you, Sir."
With that out of the way, Admiral Mitchell stood. They had covered everything they needed to cover in the meeting.
Everyone else followed the Admirals lead and rose from their chairs.
"I trust we will be hearing much from you Colonel. Thank you and your men for coming today." The Admiral was happy they had met with the ground forces that would be stationed aboard the Vigilant. Things were moving along smoothly.
"Anytime Admiral. When will we be good to start moving troops and supplies in?"
"The Vigilant will be starting Sea Trials within the next couple of weeks. So, begin preparations and be ready to go in a week. Part of Trials is unit deployment, and we need your men to do it."
"Aye Sir." The Col. mentally kicked himself. 'One week?! They would have to begin preparations immediately! Especially if they wanted to transition to a mobile platform like a Marathon.' The Col. was not looking forward to the week ahead.
With that, everyone began going their separate ways. The Marines quickly leaving the room, Oliver's handler had disappeared completely, and Mr. Rogers leaving to finish construction of the Forever Vigilant.
The three naval officers were once again left to their own devices to continue planning for the coming months.
LOCATION: UNKNOWN SPACE – CCS CLASS BATTLECRUISER SOVERN TRANQUILITY
/JAN-15th-2534 SOL/ 1746 Universal Time/
Rkar Tuyokee tapped the armrest of his command chair, deep in thought. He stretched his mandibles in what could be seen as a quiet yawn as he listened the report being given by one of his subordinates.
"Ship Master, we are facing minor issues with our jump drive. I am having the Huragok investigate it, however we are uncertain as to when they will complete their task." The Elite Major stated.
"We need this issue resolved at once. We cannot risk failing our duty. The Hierarchs expect our arrival within the month. Take any who are capable and see to it that the Borer is restored."
"As you wish Ship Master." With that, the Major stalked off to accomplish his given duty.
Rkar longed for their return into Covenant space. He was becoming bored of performing the monotonous and menial task of enforcement operations throughout known trade lanes. Rkar knew what he was doing was essential in keeping the Covenant logistics network running unhindered, however he wanted frontline action. Rkar desired to bring honor upon his clan, his ship, and himself. He had been granted the rank of Ship Master by Fleet Master Lytan Nar Dasovee after proving himself many times in open combat. Rkar was proud of where he stood, but he had ambitions to go farther.
His thoughts were interrupted by a beeping coming from the arm of his command chair. Somebody was trying to get in contact with him. Curious, the Ship Master answered the call. "Go ahead."
It was the Major who had just left his bridge after making the report. "Ship Master, the Huragoks just notified me that they have found the issue with our jump drive and are proceeding with repairs. They advise cutting power to our engines as well in the case something goes…"
There was a sudden lurch in the ship, forcing Rkar to brace himself upon his chair.
"Status report, what was that?" Rkar asked his deck crew.
One of the Unngoy were the first to answer. "Ship Master we have created a breach in the slip space, our Borer drive is fully active!"
"WHAT?!" Rkar pressed the talk button on his arm chair. "Major, why has our jump drive activated? We are being sucked into slip space!"
"Myself and the Huragok do not know! There appears to be a power malfunction in the drive, they are working to disable it!"
"Get it done Major!" Rkar cut the link and opened a ship wide announcement. "All hands, prepare for immediate slip space jump." He knew to remain calm in this situation, knowing full well that a panic taking hold of his crew was the last thing he needed. Upon making the announcement, he secured himself to the chair. His bridge crew securing themselves as well.
'May the gods guide us and bless our holy path.' Rkar thought to himself as his ship crept closer to the now open slip space rupture.
The commlink on his chair hummed to life. "Ship Master there is nothing we can do! The drive will not respond!"
"Then brace yourself, for it is up to the gods to decide our fates now." With that, Rkar watched as his ship entered the void.