Master Sergeant Walter Harriman liked his job. Granted, it wasn't exactly glamorous; ninety percent or better consisted of pressing keys and hitting a button or two, the remainder was making announcements concerning the alien device that was the focus of the program he worked for, the object he and his people simply called the Stargate.
Sure, he didn't go through the thing on a daily basis, off to look at rocks on a planet across the galaxy or fighting the Goa'uld. What made him proud was knowing the operations SG teams embarked on, numbering twenty four last he checked, were his doing. He made the ring spin, he punched in addresses, and generally got everyone where they needed to go.
Today began relatively normally, as normal as the job tended to get anyway. That usually translated to boring, but he liked boring. Exciting things tended to kill people, and he had several clauses that prevented him from detailing the evidence that proved him right.
When an alarm began to blare, he idly thought that it wasn't unexpected to hear it, nor were the next words he had to say.
"Unscheduled off world activation." Walter urgently announced into the mic he kept close by, just for these events. As he was scanning over the stream of data pouring onto his console, another figure materialized behind him, one who tended to be nearby when things happened.
"Report." said the heavily accented texan twang of General George Hammond, leader of Stargate Command. Like most of the soldiers in Cheyenne Mountain, he thought of the thick and bald as the General in charge. No one else ever managed to convey the authority the job demanded, nor did they ever command the level of respect from the men and women here as he did.
Just beyond the thick plexiglass of the control room, the Gate was locking the last of its chevrons in place. Once the connection was established there would have been a bloom of backwashed energy, but the the metal shield microns from the shimmering puddle blocked it from forming. Even as he watched, the twenty members of the gateroom security team were scrambling inside, weapons at the ready.
"Incoming wormhole, address has been identified. Its P3X-974." Walter duly reported. Hammond nodded thoughtfully.
"Cimmeria." he murmured before turning back to the man. "Open the Iris."
At his command the metal shield covering the Gate slid apart, retracting in on itself to reveal the glowing surface of an active wormhole. The water like portal suddenly spat out a single figure, a medium height humanoid. It looked like a blond bearded man in a leather tunic, with an iron axe strapped to his hip. The man blinked as he took in his surroundings; the enclosed room, lights everywhere, and dozens of weapons pointed right at him.
"Gate teams stand down." Hammond ordered, strolling away without checking to see if his command had been followed.
In the room itself, the man who looked like he just stepped out of a museum exhibit slowly walked down the ramp leading to the Stargate itself, uncertain at his surroundings. When Hammond entered through one of the two adjacent blast doors he flicked his bearded visage to him, noticing the armed soldiers backing off in his presence. Behind the man an electric crackle sounded to announce the end of the open gate.
"Welcome to Earth." Hammond greeted perfunctorily, frowning in concern.
"Hello, I am Gunther. Are you Hammond?" the man asked.
"I am. What brings you to our world?" the General questioned.
"There are visitors that have come through the Gate. I was sent by Gairwyn for your assistance." Gunther replied with a nod.
"Very well. If you'll follow me." he gestured, turning away. Above in the control room Walter was already speaking out orders, getting the leaders of two awaiting teams to the briefing room.
In a couple of minutes Gunther found himself in a gathering place, rcognizable as such no matter the decorations. Seconds after he and Hammond entered, two other men walked in, wearing similar yet different uniforms. One had the typical dark green jumpsuit many of the SG teams utilized, but the other had a green camouflaged one which was distinct from the splotched clothes the stone faced guards had. The latter wore a blue beret, the former had nothing. They both saluted the General before he gestured for them to take a seat at the enormous table.
"What seems to be the problem?" the second asked, his voice heavily accented. The man's name was Lieutenant Colonel Sergei 'Sokol' Kozak, leader of SG-22 and a visible representative of the Russian Federation's involvement in the Stargate program. The VDV Spetsnaz officer and his team had been with them for a year now, distinguishing themselves as level headed professionals. He himself had a reputation for pranks, although no one had ever caught him in the act.
"One of our allies have a situation on their hands. Would you please?" Hammond invited to the man. Gunther took a deep breath, reminding himself he was on an alien planet far away from home. Mumbling a quick prayer to Thor he spoke to the two men.
"Earlier today four travelers came through the Stargate." he began.
"Not good." murmured the first man, Air Force Major John Smith, commander of SG-7. He was well known as something of a hardass, curt yet fair to his team and others. Normally he and his men were an exploration team, but as of late they were relegated to a transportation role. Despite the misuse of talent he never let it bother him. Their work helped protect Earth, that was enough for him.
"They claimed to be students. That was their first time stepping through the ring, they barely knew how it worked. One of them tried to go back through the way they came, but Hjord, my friend, he stopped the girl. They didn't even know their home address." Gunther went on.
"Do they now?" Hammond questioned sharply.
"Yes. He told them which symbols will get them home when their last friend dialed. They should be able to find their way home no matter where they go now." the heavyset general breathed an imperceptible sigh of relief. "We can't let them stay there, but they seemed like the kind of people you look for."
"Details about them?" Colonel Sokol asked.
"Four teenagers, all girls. They were armed, but they seemed friendly. They also said they were looking for friends of theirs that traveled through their gate some time ago." Gunther answered.
"Their friends could be anywhere in the galaxy." Sokol pointed out.
"Hjord told them, they didn't mind." he replied.
"Very well." Hammond stated. "Mister Gunther, I'm sending you back with one of our SG teams. They'll get this sorted out. Which one of you wants the mission?" he directed to the two men.
Sokol shook his head. "I have a contact mission to a reclusive tribe on P4X-7227. They're derived from the Maori people, been hunted by the Goa'uld for centuries. It would not be wise to abandon them at this point." he explained regretfully.
"There's an archeological dig on P2X-907 that needed a supply run." Major Smith answered flatly.
"Alright. Colonel, your mission is still on as planned. Major, your assignment will be handed off to SG-13. You are to accompany Gunther back to Cimmeria, make provisional contact with these students, and see to it that they return home safely. SG-9 will be sent to establish formal relations with their world when you report back. Dismissed."
Minutes later Major Smith was at the armory, walking in to see the four troops he commanded getting ready for the workday. A lieutenant, a senior airman, and two airmen comprised the small unit he was responsible for. The second they noticed him they stopped and went to attention, giving quick salutes. Smith noticed a styrofoam coffee cup by the youngest member of his team with displeasure.
"At ease. Change of plans gentlemen, our supply run is scrubbed. We're going to P3X-974." he told them, making his way to a bench laden with equipment.
"An attack sir?" one of the airmen asked worriedly.
"Negative. Four lost students by the sound of it, out of all places they could've stumbled on to they ended up on an Asgard planet." he shook his head at the odds. "We're making contact and keeping in touch with their people until the diplomats get to work." he explained, suiting up like they did.
"Should be easy." the senior airman commented, taking a swig of the drink. He noticed his commander's disapproving look and lowered the cup quickly.
"You shouldn't be drinking that much coffee. What if there was an emergency and you got into combat?" Smith lectured.
"Then afterwards you can make fun of me for wetting my pants sir." the senior airman replied without missing a beat. The lieutenant, a heavily built man by the name of Barnes, didn't react. The two airmen almost snickered, but a harsh look by the Major stopped it from happening.
"I'll hold you to that. One more thing, grab Zats for your sidearms." he commanded to them. The alien made weapons were fantastic for dealing with any hostile that they weren't permitted to kill, and he felt like being prepared.
Barnes loaded a magazine into an M16, thanks to the scope and his own marksmanship he was skilled at sharpshooting. Smith armed himself with a P90 slung around his torso, a holstered Zat'nik'tel on his hip, and a couple of grenades; in other words the usual setup. The enlisted men were geared up like he was, the equipment usually brought along for exploration missions. Once he was done with himself, Smith waited for the rest of them to finish, seeing satisfactorily it only took a few more seconds to get around.
So armed, equipped fully, and clad in the uniforms offworld gate teams used (complete with a mix of helmets and infantry caps), he ordered, "Move out."
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Sizzling fat dripped into the open fire, creating a constant patter of burning flesh which filled the home, really a sturdy hut, with an appetizing odor. The beefy woman who introduced herself as Hilda held a wooden plate underneath the roasting slab, using a dull knife to cut slabs off the spit roasted meat onto a wooden plate. When a suitable quantity was retrieved, she strode deceptively fast to her four guests, gently putting the plate in front of the last of her visitors.
Weiss stared at the plate with an odd blend of revulsion and surprise. She was certain the hunk of unidentifiable meat on front of her could pass a health inspection for dogs, mostly sure in any case.
"Eat up please." the cheerful woman invited, looking to be in her forties but could easily be far younger.
"Um, thank you." Ruby said quickly, the last in the line of four girls sitting at the table. A window was propped open, letting fresh air in to stop the pungent smell of the food from overpowering them.
She looked at her own plate with some apprehension, but manners demanded she try tasting the stuff, whatever it was. Blake had a knife in hand, another dull iron one simpler than an apprentice blacksmith back home could make, poking the meat in front of her. Yang grabbed her chunk with her bare hands, wincing a bit at the heat as she lifted it up. Weiss was staring at the meal, reluctantly picking up her own utensils.
Strange to say, the laughably unhygienic home cooked food in front of them had been the least amazing thing today.
The moment she stepped out the other end of the ring, Ruby knew something extraordinary had happened. Her proof was gained by the simple act of looking up. The slightly overcast sky had two circular bodies placed in it, neither of which had anything in common whatsoever to the shattered moon. The one detail she had known as fact since she was old enough to understand astronomy, and it was gone. Yang and Blake had been similarly dumbstruck.
Not that the parade of amazing things stopped there. A moment after they stepped through, an artfully carved obelisk situated a few meters from the ring spewed out white light over the trio, lasting a few heart stopping seconds before it vanished. Then a man had appeared, apparently he'd seen the display of the active ring and came to investigate. His name turned out to be Hjord, and he had been another set of surprises all on his own.
Dirty, somewhat unkept, and clad in clothes and weapons which hadn't seen real use in Remnant for hundreds of years described the man. After talking to him, Ruby found out he had never heard of Remnant, or the Four Kingdoms, or most amazingly, the Grimm. As a finishing blow, the red huntress tried to get a feel for his Aura, only to find out it was pathetically weak. It was bizarre to see grown man with a soul which was outdone by hers when she was a toddler, but there he was.
Despite the poor state he lived in, Hjord proved to be quite knowledgeable about the ring, calling it a Stargate (a short consensus with her friends decided it was a good name for the thing). Enough to helpfully tell them which glyphs in what order they needed to hit, so to return to their own world when Weiss dialed again from their end. He even stopped Yang from going back through, claiming it was strictly one way when one gate called another. A couple of tests confirmed it; their scrolls could call through their end albeit with weak signal, but a few rocks they tossed through didn't make it to Weiss's end.
After it closed again Ruby tried the buttons on an altar which was an exact replica of the one back home, and once the dreadful bloom had retracted, they successfully got a call back to the heiress. When Weiss came through some time later, she was met by the same light as they were, to the same result. After a simple explanation and an urgent word with a senior leader from the nearby village, Team RWBY found themselves in the home of a local woman named Hilda, getting a meal made for them.
"Here goes." Yang murmured, lifting the meat to her lips. All three girls watched nervously when she bit down on the meat, taking a piece into her mouth. She blinked, gulping down the small chunk quickly. "This is good."
"Really?" Blake asked, taking a careful bite herself. Her bow flicked, unmindful of the human that watched them eat with satisfaction.
Taking the plunge, Ruby cut a small piece off and put it in her mouth. She paused; the taste was extraordinary, a mixture of smoked game with things she couldn't begin to identify. A mental note was made to take some of this meat back to Remnant with them.
Weiss was the last, gingerly reaching out to take a bite. Cringing at the thought of the stuff giving her food poisoning, she let a tiny piece touch her tongue. Immediately she too blinked, the remains of her haughty upbringing swatted aside.
"You're right." she agreed, stunned.
Yang was busy tearing into her meat, keeping enough manners to prevent doing an impression of a toddler. The others were far more subdued, though they still showed plenty of enthusiasm. Hilda beamed, waiting until they were done eating to speak.
"So, what'd you think?" she asked slyly.
"That was perhaps the best meal I've had all year, thanks." Yang said appreciably. Ruby nodded with a grin, noting as well the approving looks on her friends.
"No problem. For friendly visitors from another world its the least I could do, and since my sons left I haven't had much else to do around here." she answered easily.
Blake was the first one to pick up on the statement, though not by much of a lead. "Do you guys get visitors often?"
The thick woman nodded. "For the longest time it was around once or twice a generation. Demons and their servants would come to our world, then Thor would whisk them away. Nowadays there's more, most of them are Tau'ri."
"Taw-ree?" Yang repeated, raising a brow.
"Not to sound rude, but could you please explain everything you just said?" Weiss asked carefully. Blake and Ruby nodded in agreement.
"Of course. Before I do though, would you like some more Greatmaw?" she offered. All four girls extended their plates out, making the woman laugh. A few minutes later and a fresh helping of the delicious meat was being devoured by the visitors. "Good isn't it?"
"Yep. You said this was called Greatmaw?" Ruby asked, digging in once more.
"That's right. Its a vicious predator that lives up in the mountains. Every so often one would prowl down here to take our livestock, so the men have to hunt it down. Good thing it's meat tastes great." she explained with a small chuckle.
"I'd love to try bagging one myself." Yang said enthusiastically.
"I'm sure you would. Olaf got the last one, maybe later you can stop by his home to see its pelt. Those cats are dangerous, but it seems like you could succeed." Hilda offered.
Ruby was lifting another piece to her mouth when she heard that. She stopped midway, mouth agape in preparation of eating when she rotated her eyes to the woman.
"Did... you just say cat?" she asked slowly.
"Yep. Big and nasty, two or three times the size of a man." Hilda answered. Ruby glanced at the food, giving it a scrutinizing look before peering back at the woman and pointing a finger at the meat.
"This is cat." she repeated.
"Yes. Is there something wrong?" Hilda asked, frowning in puzzlement.
All three girls turned their heads to the end of the table, where a now frozen Blake was sitting. The cat faunus cheeks were bulging a little from the last bite of the feline meat she took. Slowly she gulped down the piece, all of her enjoyment seeping away. Then she dropped her food back on the plate and pushed it away.
"Not hungry." she said quickly.
"Me neither." Weiss did the same.
"Nope." Yang followed suit. Ruby said nothing, pushing her plate away with a guilty expression and noting that Blake looked ill all of a sudden. Hilda watched them with confusion.
"What? What's the matter?" she asked, befuddled.
"So." Weiss began as she brought her hands together on the table surface, determined to move on from the unintentional surprise. "Could you tell us about the demons? And Thor too."
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The Cimmerian Stargate activated, the kawoosh spreading out before retracting in on itself. Moments after the wormhole was established Major Smith strode through first, a wary Gunther a few steps behind him. The rest of his team filed through the ancient device in short order, none of them looking phased by the travel. Once the last of them were through it shut down.
That done, the old machine known as Thor's Hammer did the same thing it did for all travelers who came to this world: scanned them for the signature of a particular type of creature. Major Smith waited patiently; the techs back on Earth claimed hostile actions wouldn't trigger the alien device, but just in case he kept still. Even if it did however, the only real consequence in store for him was an hour long walk back.
Once the scan was completed Smith looked to Gunther.
"Lead on please." he said curtly.
"This way." the native said, taking point for the commandos.
One of the airmen, a dark skinned man named Walsch, noticed the senior airman scanning the faraway tree line intently.
"Dude, why do you do that on every world we go to?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Force of habit." he answered blandly. The other airman, called Roy, snorted at the young man's antics.
The village closest to the Gate was only a half kilometer away, nothing resembling a problem for these men. Or would be normally, until the senior airman tore his eyes off the trees to quietly sigh. He knew already his request was not going to go over well with the Major.
"Sir, I think you were right about the coffee." he announced.
Major Smith's pace didn't change, he only sighed. "How bad."
"Don't think I'll last until we get back to Earth." he answered. At that Walsch and Roy snickered, while Barnes snorted in derision.
"Gunther, where are the visitors located?" Smith asked the local with a turn of his head.
"Last I checked at Hilda's home. You'll see when we get there." he replied, jerking a hand towards the village.
"You get that?" Major Smith didn't look back, because it wasn't a question.
"Understood sir. Five minutes?" the airman asked.
"Five minutes. If you're not at the village when the times up you're getting Zatted and tossed back to Earth. Clocks ticking." he said neutrally. The senior airman broke off from the group, not showing much of a hurry.
Smith wasn't serious about the threat; the worst the kid was in for was a tongue lashing. Discipline at the SGC tended to be looser than what he was accustomed to back on his special operations days, not that he could really blame them for it. They quite literally had the weight of the world on their shoulders, a few infractions here or there wasn't something to get worked up over. Still, there were a few things he didn't let slide.
Barnes moved closer to Smith for a quiet word. "Was that necessary sir?"
"Just some motivation. He'll be there before times up." he replied easily.
"Alright then sir. Don't want him to repeat your incident in Beirut?" Barnes half joked.
"An incident that never happened." Smith insisted with a tiny chuckle. Gunther spared a look at the two men, blankly wondering what they were talking about.
Meanwhile the young man choose a random tree, moving his P90 out of the way to get to his zipper. In a few seconds he let out a quiet sigh while he relieved himself.
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"So." Ruby said, wrapping her head around the odd explanation Hilda gave them. "The evil gods called the System Lords rule over most of the stars, conquering and enslaving any world they come across. Except for a few like here, which are protected by the good gods, the Asgard. The one that guards this world, Thor, teaches you to stand on your own two feet and live strongly and justly." she recounted carefully.
"Thats most of it." Hilda answered, unsmiling. It sounded like mythology, yet she spoke of it with what strongly resembled personal experience.
"And one called Heru'ur tried taking over this place five years ago, until Thor himself swept them away." Blake said. She nodded again, this time a frown creased her features.
"A party of his warrior slaves raided my hamlet then. I lost friends and my father to those brutes." she shook her head to clear the memories away, something they could all understand.
"Its okay. We've lost friends too, not to the demons I admit, but to monsters." Yang consoled.
Hilda sighed. "Its alright. Thor dealt with them but it was the Tau'ri that called him here." she said, forcing some cheer into her voice.
"I've been meaning to ask, who are these Tau'ri?" Weiss asked quizzically.
"They're people like you or me who fight against these evil gods by traveling through the gate. So far, despite losses they've been winning. Thor himself holds them in high esteem. They visit here every now and again, but they don't stay for long." Hilda said, turning to check on the cooling meat over the fire.
Yang took the chance to lean in close to Blake to whisper. "You buying any of this?"
"We're on an alien world who knows where with primitive people and apparently no Grimm, after walking through another alien machine that teleported us here. I don't think there's much I won't believe at this point." she whispered back.
"They travel through that thing a lot?" Ruby inquired, her silver eyes brightening.
"Oh yes. They've been to many places, even to other worlds that the Asgard protect." she answered easily, going to a large kettle filled with their dirty dishes. Ruby turned to her friends, guessing that they knew what was running through her mind.
"How can we get in touch with these Tau'ri?" she asked, her excitement barely masked.
"They're on the way here. Gunther went to their world for their help. I'm sorry to say you can't stay, and these friends you're looking for aren't here." Hilda said with some regret.
"Its okay. You've been a great host." Blake complimented, noting a shift in her expression when she said the last word.
"If anyone can help you, its them." Hilda replied evenly, brightening up after a shake of her head. "The Tau'ri are strange folk, but they are friends to many."
Shouting from outside caught their attention. It sounded like a child yelling something, and reflexively all four students felt for their weapons. After several seconds one by one stopped themselves, being reminded of their location. Hilda's chuckle laid most of the girls's instincts to rest. "That's just Herrod. He always does that when the Tau'ri come."
"Thats our cue then. Miss Hilda, thanks again for the food." Ruby said, pushing herself up ahead of the others.
"You're welcome here any time." Hilda replied with a little wave. Giving a small smile to her first, Ruby turned to the wooden door with Crescent Rose slung over her back. Weiss, Blake, and Yang had their weapons close by, in case something bad happened. Once she confirmed they were ready, she pushed the door open to step out into the light of another world.
Her timing was unintentionally perfect. Her team was out into the small village of some hundred or so people, seeing many pairs of eyes fall on their very outlandish appearance. Moments after stepping outside, another group of people came around the corner of a home. Ruby saw the eyes go to the new arrivals, noticing a range of emotions; some indifference, some hatred, but a large amount of elation.
Ruby realized quickly these men were soldiers. It wasn't just their equipment or uniforms which gave them away, although those were telling enough; matching dark green jumpsuits, black boots, and vests covered in equipment, none of it recognizable. They had compact guns, types she'd never seen before held low yet able to be brought up quickly. The way they carried themselves told her what they were more than anything else. Their postures were relaxed, yet their eyes were guarded, ready to spring into action at once. Only soldiers and experienced Huntsmen had that kind of body language, and she doubted they killed Grimm for a living.
The leader of the men, a tall man with an odd flat cap on his head, strode up to the students. He gave them an uninterested look before speaking, evidently not phased by their clothes or the weapons they carried.
"Greetings. I'll assume you're the visitors here?" he asked gruffly.
"Yeah." Ruby replied, trying not to appear intimidated. It was hard, since he was more than a head taller than she was.
"Great. I'm Major John Smith, of Earth. You've probably heard us being called Tau'ri." he explained simply. She nodded carefully.
"I'm Ruby Rose. Of Remnant. These are my friends." she added as an afterthought. He nodded, a slight frown coming over his features. It passed and he shook his head.
"Ma'am, pardon my bluntness, but I'm going to have to ask you and your companions to accompany me back to the Stargate." he said. Unbeknownst to her, the name was stirring a memory he couldn't quite grasp.
"Alright." Ruby said, wary around him. Unlike the other people here, she was getting no friendly impression from him.
Hilda stood in the doorway of her house, giving the four a smile. "Safe travels." she called out.
Yang smiled and waved back at her, weak flutters coming from her friends. Major Smith gave a lackluster salute before turning away, leading the girls off. His men followed him, the man with a gun far larger than the others tailing them all. A few of the villagers waved and said farewells, which the mixed group returned with varying levels of enthusiasm.
On the edge of the village Major Smith said, "Roy, time?" to Ruby's confusion. He noticed her questioning look and explained.
"One of my men had to take care of a personal matter, too much coffee. Roy?" he repeated. Blake turned her head in the direction of the forest first, frowning.
"Thirty seconds-scratch that sir." one of the men answered. The rest of them heard it next, footsteps on soft dirt coming towards them. They regrouped with the lone soldier just as they cleared the corner of a building. The senior airman was adjusting his own cap in place when he fell into step with the team, glancing at the girls as Ruby looked him over.
Then he stopped, at the same time the leader did.
That simple action brought the party of nine to a complete standstill, as one by one the Remnant natives all glanced at the young blond man, and one by one they were overcome by surprise. The shock on the airman's and Ruby's respective faces was identical.
"Ruby!?"
"Jaune!?"
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A/N: I was going to wait longer on this, since I have nothing else written at present. Oh well. To everyone that put a follow on this, jesus! Thanks a bunch, I mean it.