...Now.
00000
A mere twenty minutes later, Ruby was regretting her life choices.
Not the part about being shoved into the corner of the much too small cockpit, currently hosting double the number of bodies the designer normally recommended. Nor was it the nature of two thirds of said bodies, all plastered up to the glass. It wasn't even the discomfort Blake was going through as she kept the tiny craft stable, her piloting being the only other reason she wasn't as crowded as Ruby was; all of them leaving their gear in the back certainly helped. Not to mention leaving Yang and Weiss in the compartment to keep VERE from bothering JNPR, which neither of the girls were enjoying.
Nora was the closest to her, staring unnervingly out the window. A few moments ago, when she led the way in barging into the cockpit, the bubbly girl was grinning from ear to ear, hyped to see Beacon once again. Now her features were alike to the others, a face which showed so little emotion compared to normal. But it was her eyes which truly made Ruby cringe; the bubbly girl's orbs now had a type of cold rage she didn't see often. She knew without looking the others had those same eyes, fixated on the glass.
"What happened?" Ren questioned softly, almost inaudible over the sounds of the engines. He too was enraptured, mutedly staring at what lay beyond.
Just beyond the thick glass window, Beacon Academy sprawled out before them. When Ruby first laid eyes on the school she couldn't stop herself from staring, awed to see such a prestigious academy with her own eyes. It was the most majestic sight she had ever seen.
But no longer.
Several of the spiring towers had fallen, and none of the ones standing were unscathed. The perimeter wall showed signs of hasty patches, breaking the monotonous protection. The central courtyard was a maze of rubble and ill tended plant growth, with easily half the trees missing. Wreckage of a civilian airship remained where it fell, a twisted hulk of broken metal resting as a hasty modification of a wall. Though it was midday, the number of lights which should have been blazing was far smaller than before. In a few areas, laborers were hard at work repairing the damage.
"What…" Pyrrha gulped, unable to tear her gaze from the devastation. "What happened?"
"Was it Grimm? But how?" Jaune half whispered, completely unaware of how close he was crowding Blake.
Outside the academy was little better. Two scattered wrecks were all that was left of the once so mighty Atlesian airships; once their Bullhead was closer, she could see smaller piles of metal from many crashed airships, a blend of Atlas gunships and repurposed civilian aircaft. Many showed signs of salvage work, while others were blissfully rusting away. Scattered at random were shallow depressions, scars from powerful explosions which nature had yet to fully heal. For a few of the crashes, vines had made excellent progress in enveloping them. Since they were approaching from the forests, the cliffside view of a heavily rusted third airship in the shallow water couldn't be seen.
Nora finally looked away, closing her eyes for a moment before leveling a cold stare on Ruby. "When were you going to tell us about this?" she questioned icily. There was nowhere to run, even if the red toned girl could bear with leaving her friends again.
Blake let out a breath. "How do you want it explained? Nice to see you guys, Beacon was nearly destroyed eight months ago. How are you?"
"You should have said something." Jaune said coldly, though his expression was flickering.
Ruby closed her eyes to tap her head against the hull.
"Yeah, I should have. But I was so happy at finding out you were all alive, then the whole Earth thing…" she looked away instead of continuing.
Ren glanced back at the ruined academy, features inscrutable. "I understand."
"What caused this?" Nora asked, turning from Ruby to Blake for an answer. The question made the others pick up, disturbed curiosity written over her expression. The girl's anger was weakening, but it wasn't going away.
Blake was emotionless, keeping to her task instead of turning to any of them. "You said there are evil monsters out there." a jerk of her head towards the sky showed what she meant, "Must have been a shock. We found out evil is a lot closer to home."
"Wait, someone tried to destroy Beacon? An actual person, not just Grimm." Jaune was blinking as he spoke, confusion taking center stage.
"Who?" Ren finished for him.
The red toned girl steadfastly stared at the academy, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. No sign of joy showed on her empty expression. The hand by her side clenched, the only clue to the burning rage she kept hidden. Fury she reserved for only one individual in the entire world, and as of today, the entire universe.
"Cinder Fall."
The formerly missing team was briefly taken aback by the venom infused answer, each of them blinking at her. Ruby wasn't concerned. She was too wrapped up in the memories of everything she cared for being engulfed in flames. "She infiltrated Beacon during the Vytal festival. Arranged for things to go terribly wrong, unleashing hundreds of Grimm after starting a panic. In the chaos, she stole the power of the Fall Maiden." she explained, devoid of empathy.
"The Maiden? But that's a myth." Pyrrha protested, frowning with the others. When Ruby turned her face to them, the redhead flinched.
"No. I thought it was too, until I saw it with my own eyes. It was… I've never seen anything like it before. I don't think anyone has, not for a long time." she answered before looking away.
"But," the redhead looked away for a moment as she tried to word her question. After a moment she sighed in defeat. "How close was it?"
Blake chose to answer on Ruby's behalf, her own voice hollow. "Close."
"Twelve hundred civilians. Five hundred Atlas soldiers. Over one hundred and fifty Huntsmen." Ruby recited, her voice empty as she stared towards the ruined academy. Her clenched fist shook, her expression threatening to crack.
Ren backed up so he rested against a bulkhead. "Its different when you've seen what it was like before." he murmured, taking a breath before glancing to Blake. "I'll assume Cinder escaped?"
"Yeah." she answered quietly, sparing a glance at Ruby. "Last I heard there was a million lien bounty on her, dead or alive. So far there hasn't been any leads."
Jaune sighed, grimacing as he kept track of the red haired girl. "Its too much to hope Cinder died in the meantime?"
"Not a chance. She'll show up again, sooner or later." Ruby answered cryptically.
Rather than continuing, Blake made an alteration to their course. 'Down' in the small craft shifted several degrees, as the Bullhead began to lazily circle Beacon's perimeter. Far below was the small landing area, but she kept them at the same altitude. When Ruby failed to meet her eyes, the faunus locked in the autopilot.
"We should call Goodwitch. She'll set up a meeting with Ozpin." she announced, getting the attention of JNPR. More importantly, Ruby finally looked away from the window.
The red huntress saw her cue, and pulled out her scroll to contact the professor. Internally the anger she felt was dissipating; it took her a moment to notice a light strain on her chest. From the passenger compartment voices could be heard, but over the engines no words could be made out. It made no difference when the device clicked.
"Miss Rose, what a surprise. I wasn't expecting you back until tomorrow. To what reason are you calling me?" the stern voice spoke, slightly crackling over the line.
Her friends offering encouraging looks, Ruby brought the scroll closer to her mouth. "Hi professor. We're fine, but something came up."
"What happened?" Goodwitch asked, her unseen voice neutral in tone.
"Something big." Ruby braced herself, wishing she had a better talent with words. "Can you get us an hour or so with Ozpin?" she asked quickly, suppressing a grimace at her tone.
The line was silent for several seconds, long enough for several of her friends to start frowning worriedly. A quiet huff was her only cue the call was still on. "Well… I wasn't anticipating that request. I hope you have a good reason for interrupting the Headmaster's work."
"Yeah, its um." Ruby looked up, silently waving at her friends. The missing team exchanged looks, all of them settling on Jaune. He sputtered out a groan before dropping his head, though he did hold out an open hand.
He straightened back up after Ruby gave him her scroll, for a second fighting back a gulp. When he brought the device up, Nora gave him a thumbs up as Pyrrha offered a small smile. Jaune nodded slowly, evidently preparing himself. When he spoke, his voice was steady. "Hi professor Goodwitch."
"I'm sorry, who…" the woman trailed off. The speaker crackled again, from a puff of breath too close to the mic.
"Its good to hear your voice. Ah, we're not getting marked for tardiness are we?" Jaune half joked, timidly looking around. Weak shrugs met him.
A gasp came from the device. "It can't be." Goodwitch murmured breathlessly. She would have been almost silent if the volume was a little lower.
"Its fine, today's one of those days." he consoled, offering the scroll back once he was done talking.
"Well, I uh, um…"
"So, yeah. That's my reason." Ruby finished carefully, catching a snort of laughter from Nora.
Goodwitch cleared her throat, sounding flustered. "I, well, I can see why now. I'll arrange things at once. Proceed to the central tower, I'll meet you there." a moment later the line clicked off.
As Ruby put her scroll away, she glanced to the others in time for Ren to clap Jaune on the shoulder, adding, "Good one." in an even tone. Ruby couldn't tell if he was serious or not, and if the befuddled look on Jaune's face was any indicator, neither did he.
"I thought it was funny." Nora commented with a smile. A second later she suddenly frowned, the color draining from her features. "Wait, you don't think she'll mark us for being late, do you?" she asked worriedly, turning her head around for any reassurance.
Pyrrha shrugged, wearing a relaxed smile. "I'm sure its fine. However." she didn't finish, planting a hand on Blake's chair as the Bullhead changed course. Outside the window, the pockmarked spire loomed.
"What's the matter?" Ruby asked, grabbing a handle to keep herself steady.
"You think she'll believe us? I mean, think about it. If you hadn't personally stepped through the Stargate, would you believe anything that's happened today?" she questioned concernedly.
"Know what you mean. This whole day sounds like the plot of a cheap novel." Blake agreed. The swaying of the Bullhead didn't overly affect her, since she had the foresight to strap herself in before takeoff.
Jaune faced the window, grabbing a convenient handle on the ceiling to stop himself from going with the momentum. "No wonder truth is stranger than fiction, fiction has to make sense." he mumbled.
Even occupied as she was, Blake took a second to crane her head around.
"A quote?" she asked with quiet surprise, which he nodded to.
"This Earth guy came up with it, his names Mark Twain." he answered, making Pyrrha give him an unidentifiable look. When he noticed, he shrugged.
"Does he work at the SGC too?" Ruby decided to ask, tilting her head to the side as she stole a quick look at their progress. Her stomach fluttered with their descent, the private landing platform coming closer by the second.
Jaune shook his head, but Pyrrha interrupted him before he could speak. "Twain was an author who died a hundred years ago, he wrote a number of books back them. I thought you told me you weren't interested in the classical literature course?" she directed the question towards him.
"I changed my mind." he defended, frowning at something.
Before Ruby could ask what they were talking about, the Bullhead shuddered. The floor beneath her rattled, the old craft protesting the less than gentle landing. A moment later Blake cut power to the engines, unbuckling herself to stand up. Both Jaune and Nora backed up as much as they could in the much too small cabin, crowding Ren, Pyrrha, and Ruby against the walls. As the faunus stretched her sore muscles, Ruby pointedly coughed, unfortunately into Ren's back.
"Could you let me out please?" she asked, strained from being squeezed into such a small place. For once her small size was working in her favor; if she was as large as Yang, or even Weiss, her position would be so much worse.
The sable haired young man quickly shuffled away as much as he could, which wasn't much. It was enough for Ruby to squeeze past him with a grunt. Bumping into Pyrrha next, she mumbled an apology on her way to the exit. She threw the cabin door open to dart into the passenger compartment, sighing in relief.
"Hey Ruby? Don't mean to tell you your business, but um, this isn't the landing port." Valentine said as he stood up from his seat, the rest of his team staying in their seats.
Stretching for a second, Ruby winced at the sullen looks both Yang and Weiss sported, facing backwards in their seats like sentinels. She offered an apologetic look; the heiress sighed dejectedly, but her sister didn't budge. Promising them more cookies, she turned to face the underclassmen. "Everything's okay. For now though, lets get you guys out of here."
First Raoul, then the Kettu twins, then finally Valentine began to follow her as she strolled down the small cabin, the red toned girl wincing at her creaking muscles. Ruby unlatched the locks holding the hatch in place to throw it open, letting the fresh air flow inside. She had to close her eyes in silent gratitude, internally glad to be out in the open again.
Once the moment passed, she glanced around the small area; the lone platform near the top of the central tower was reserved for VIPs, normally students weren't allowed to park up here. Because of this, the pad seemed eerily abandoned. Dismissing her unease, she hopped out to make room for VERE to join her, each of them stretching as she was. Sensing movement, Ruby glanced inside to see half her team making their way to the open hatch.
Several seconds later an elevator door in the cresting spire opened, revealing a single figure quickly striding towards the landing pad. Upon noticing the red huntress straightened up, coughing to both clear her throat and to get the young team's attention. Only the large teen didn't have the color drain from his features, the twins especially quaking in place.
White blouse, a black skirt, and a small purple tinted cape summed up the woman's outfit. Short blonde hair, glasses, and an unmatched stern expression described her appearance. Professor Glynda Goodwitch looked and acted the part of the disciplined teacher, wearing her authority like a cloak. Right now, the full force of her unyielding will was directed on the small gathering she approached.
"Miss Rose." Goodwitch perfunctorily greeted as she crossed her arms behind her back, nodding before turning to the unnerved VERE. "Mister Trail, Mister Oro, Kettus."
"Uh, hi professor Goodwitch." Valentine replied for all of them, gulping nervously. The twins bobbed their heads quickly, all four eyes as wide as saucers. Only Raoul looked to be at ease.
"I trust your training exercise went well?" the woman inquired, the question directed at the senior. Ruby nodded, taking a breath to steady her nerves.
"Yeah, they did great. Full marks." she answered quickly. Though she wasn't in any sort of trouble, Ruby couldn't help the wave of goosebumps rolling over her skin. Goodwitch tipped her head once in evident approval before turning to the younger students.
"Excellent work Team VERE, you'll get the appropriate credit for this. You're free to leave." she finished, gesturing to the elevator she arrived on.
"Uh, sure. Thanks." Valentine replied confusedly, looking lost until he noticed his team powering to the elevator. A muted cry left the teen while he bolted after them.
Once he was firmly out of sight, Goodwitch turned back to Ruby. This time, her stern look possessed an expectant outline to it. Gulping down a lump, the red huntress turned to the inside of the craft to wave for whoever was inside to come out. Yang hopped out first, rolling her arms around to keep the cramps at bay. Weiss was next, walking stiffly as she fought down a grimace. Both girls nodded in greeting towards the professor.
Ren was the first of the missing team to exit, grabbing the edges of the hatch to steady himself as he hopped out. A second after his boots hit the ground he looked up, freezing in place under the professor's gaze. Nora was next, leaping to thump on the smooth blacktop before straightening up. As both of the apprehensive former students moved out of the way, Pyrrha stepped out gracefully, quickly clearing her throat as she briefly wrung her hands. Jaune was the last, letting out small grunts as he worked his stiff muscles. When he met the woman's gaze, he coughed before adjusting his unzipped vest. All four were unarmed at the moment, leaving their stuff in the Bullhead.
Glynda Goodwitch was still, her glasses doing nothing to disguise her wide eyes. Though not the first time Ruby had seen the woman's iron composure broken, she had never seen it fractured so quickly. On their part, the four members of JNPR were plainly uncomfortable, Ren and Pyrrha both unzipping the vests to match Jaune, while he and Nora shuffled and looked away. Yang crossed her arms, catching Blake slipping out before closing the hatch behind her. Weiss quietly cleared her throat. Mustering up the nerve, Jaune coughed as he met Goodwitch's frozen expression.
"Ah, hey professor." he greeted carefully, shifting his weight around. Upon discovering she'd been staring, the professor brought a fist up to clear her throat.
"Well, this certainly wasn't what I assumed of your call. I'm sure you can understand that I'm rather curious about this." Goodwitch said, her voice strained.
"Um," Ruby went, almost flinching when the woman turned to her. "Long version or short?"
Goodwitch mercifully didn't keep the stare on her for long, glancing at the nervous team.
"For now, short." the woman answered carefully, a frown creasing her features.
Yang stepped up, clapping her hands together as she put on a smile.
"Short, right." her throat rippled as she discreetly gulped. "We… we found an alien artifact in Forever Fall, turned it on, traveled to an alien planet, bumped into Jaune, went to another planet, and came home." she explained cheerfully. Behind her Blake slapped her own face.
"We found it first a while ago, lost our map, and had to crash at this place called Earth. Nice guys. Even offered us a job." Nora took over, waving her hands about as she compounded the damage. Ren closed his eyes to tilt his head back, soundlessly grimacing. Meanwhile Jaune and Weiss were cringing, the latter glancing out to the open air like it offered an escape.
"Also," Pyrrha added, wincing when Goodwitch turned her her. "There are a huge number of worlds out there which are accessible with those artifacts, the job Nora mentioned involves exploring these planets and fighting an evil alien empire." she shrank back nervously once she finished.
"The places we went to were nice. Weird but nice." Ruby finished, coughing to hide her embarrassment. It took a supreme amount of will to halt the impulse to escape, by any means available. Her eyes landed on the Bullhead, though she didn't know how to fly.
Again Goodwitch was silent, blankly processing the information. When the blonde woman took a deep breath, both teams winced empathetically.
"This isn't the most outlandish tale I've ever heard. Its the second, maybe the third if the cursed lizard monster appears again." she closed her eyes to steady herself. Ruby checked the others, noting with equal parts relief and despair how they all looked to be as nervous as she was. When the professor looked to them again, she visibly composed herself. "Alright. I'd like all of you to follow me. As you can understand, both I and the Headmaster have a vast number of questions."
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Lets go." Ruby said quickly, glancing to the others as the professor turned to stroll away.
At first she began to stride after Goodwitch, upon thinking it over the red huntress slowed down to keep at the head of the two teams. She glanced to the others to see a blend of reactions, ranging from Pyrrha taking steadying breaths, to Yang's forced cheer, to Weiss searching for escape. Each one had an underlying nervousness to them, and Ruby was no exception. For a moment she considered striking up a conversation, but a glance the awaiting elevator showed her it was a bad idea.
Goodwitch paused in front of the closed door, clicking the button to summon the lift. Several seconds passed before it opened with a ding, revealing an unwelcome visitor.
"Miss Aries!" the professor exclaimed, immediately making all eight of her followers shrink back reflexively. When the woman planted her fists on her hips, Ruby edged to the side to see what had her worked up so suddenly. Jaune, Blake, and Nora leaned to the same direction as her too.
A teenage girl was in the elevator, leaning against the back with her arms crossed. The smirking girl was a faunus, the twin goat horns curling forwards gave her away. She wore blooming red pants, white boots and blouse, and had a long tailed white jacket covering her torso. The look the pale skinned girl gave them was one of playful indifference.
"Whose that?" Jaune asked quietly beside her.
Before Ruby could answer, Goodwitch demanded, "What do you think you're doing here?"
"Got lost, this place is a maze you know. How are you today?" the girl answered, smiling broadly.
"This is the fourth time this month you've 'gotten lost' here Miss Aries. You make it a fifth and I'll be forced to confine you to your room." Goodwitch threatened, no doubt leveling her worst fear inducing stare on the girl.
The faunus pushed herself away from the wall, cracking her neck while strolling to the open door. Once she was outside she gestured for them to enter, eyeing both teams in the same fashion. Ruby knew the look she was giving them, it was the same kind many unpleasant men often gave her sister. The horned girl however made no distinction between any of them, even applying the overly appreciative look on Goodwitch.
"Have fun." the girl said cheerfully as the nine piled inside, waving to show off her white gloves.
"I mean it Miss Aries. You have stretched my patience too far this time." Goodwitch warned as she hit the button. The girl simply waved as the doors closed, smiling the entire time.
"Who was that?" Jaune asked after a moment, noticing the sour expressions on the others. The elevator began to rise, gently pulling down.
"Her names Masculum Aries." Blake spoke up, checking on Goodwitch to see her still fuming. "She and her team transferred here from Haven about five months ago. The girls a troublemaker."
"Team BROM. Its her, another faunus girl named Bael Moss, a kid named Oscar, and this tall guy called Ron." Ruby added, idly tapping her foot on the floor. "I met them a while ago. They're all really nice, Bael especially. Masculum is the only one who isn't."
"BROM?" Nora repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep, Havens weird like that. Good thing you met her now." Yang sighed, rolling her shoulders. "Next time you see her though, prepare to get pranked."
"Good to know." Ren said softly, keeping largely still.
Seconds later the downwards pull ceased, the doors opening after a moment. Goodwitch walked out first, the others leaving at their own pace. The professor turned around in the narrow hallway, examining each of the students before speaking. "Miss Rose, I must ask that you and your team wait here."
Ruby stifled the jerk of fear, telling herself it was alright while glancing to the others. Weiss shrugged, Blake nodded with a quiet breath, and Yang offered a hopeful look.
"Arc, Nikos, Ren, Valkyrie, please follow me." the woman invited neutrally, holding up an arm. Taking a breath, Jaune gave Ruby one more look before walking off after the professor. His friends followed him, steps uneven as they trailed after her.
Though several rooms dotted the hallway, only one truly mattered. The door Goodwitch led them too appeared no different than the rest, unmarked save for a panel to the side. After swiping a small device at the lock, the door opened. The woman turned to face them once again, gesturing inside.
"Headmaster Ozpin will see you now." she said neutrally, giving zero indication she was coming with them.
Jaune exhaled through clenched teeth, swinging his head from side to side. Pyrrha looked nervous, stopping herself from wringing her hands. Nora was trying to smile, but the way she kept her footing showed him she was feeling the same way. Ren appeared calm, the only clue to his anxiety was a constantly moving gaze. The blond young man started to stuff his hands in his pockets, but forced himself to stop.
Nora rolled her head around her shoulders. "We came this far."
With no more hesitation she powered inside. Ren followed her, his fingers curling and uncurling. He and Pyrrha exchanged a look, both appearing unsure. The redhead waved for him to go in first, and with a nod he started walking. Once they were all through the entrance Goodwitch closed the door behind them. After locking it she turned to walk back to team RWBY, seeking their version of the day's events.
Jaune took in the spacious office, a large room devoid of personal decoration. The sole things to break the silver colored monotony were in front of him: the large set of windows to allow the occupant to look down upon the scarred academy, and a single metal desk in the center. He needed a moment to notice the desk had someone behind it, causing him to stop in place. Without thinking he stopped an arms length from Ren's side, both the girls ending up flanking them. Unconsciously he gulped.
The man currently sitting in the throne like chair beheld the men and women in front of him, completely at ease.
"Isn't this a surprise." he said softly, his meticulous voice having a faint hint of emotion behind it.
Silver haired, bespectacled, and utterly at ease, Headmaster Ozpin proceeded to take a sip from his ever present coffee cup. His black suit was the same as it always was, complete with the green scarf wrapped around his neck. Lowering the cup, his free hand fell on the cane resting against his desk.
All four of the former students winced when the master of Beacon slowly rose, quietly grunting with the strain. Nora began to dart to him, but a quick pat on her arm from Ren stopped her, silently easing the girl back in line. Ozpin inexorably continued, his cane tapping on the polished floor with every step he took. He made his way out from behind the desk, apparently to examine in closer detail the team he put together, so long ago. The man's slow pace illustrated his limp to the team, how much effort the pitifully short walk was costing him. Pausing in front of the desk, he gently leaned back to rest.
Despite the ordeal he just went through, the wizened Headmaster possessed a neutral expression as he looked over them.
"I have to say, this wasn't what I was expecting out of this morning. But all the same, welcome back to Beacon JNPR." Ozpin greeted, his arm briefly waving in greeting.
"Um, good to be back sir." Jaune said, catching himself from clasping his hands behind his back. A glance told him his friends were all wearing a grimace, just like his.
The Headmaster nodded once, planting the cane in front of himself.
"Its good to see you all alive and well. Now, I can tell you've had a long trip. But nonetheless I'd like for you to begin explaining. For starters, the reason for your gross tardiness." Nora shrank back, cringing in terror as Ozpin reached around for his cup.
Jaune clapped, taking a short breath. "Right. Where to start..."
He swept his head to the side, catching Ren shuffling his feet while silently calming Nora. Going to his other side, Pyrrha met his look and shrugged sheepishly.
"We could tell him about the gate." she suggested carefully. Jaune's features lit up, and he quickly straightened up.
"Great, Stargate first." he spoke rapidly, a rictus of a smile coming over him. Nora nodded vigorously as she beamed, while Ren briefly inspected his boots.
Ozpin responded with a raised eyebrow. "Star gate?"
"Yeah, its a, um..." Jaune turned to Ren, the girls joining the hopeful staring.
The sable haired young man sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose for a second. "Always asking me." he muttered before straightening up, gathering a breath. "Shorter version, the Stargate is an inter dimensional transportation device, it looks like a large ring made of..."
Ren talked until his throat got sore, allowing for Pyrrha to take over. Jaune added information when he could. Nora had her own winding insights to offer, which her friends elaborated on at every chance. They told Ozpin about the Gates, the lack of Grimm elsewhere, the Goa'uld, Earth, Stargate Command, their own roles in the organization, and as much of the technical information as each of them could remember. The Headmaster stood in place throughout the lecture, periodically sipping from his cup as they talked. There was no doubt he was hanging on to every word they said.
"...And then we gated here with RWBY. That's about it, right?" Jaune glanced at his friends, discovering his jaw was aching. All three nodded with varying degrees of enthusiasm, each drawing back to the Headmaster. As the blond turned to the man with them, he fought down a gulp.
Ozpin was expressionless, holding the cup to his torso as he apparently processed their explanation. He didn't react when Nora discreetly checked her scroll, the orange haired girl finding out an hour had passed.
"Well." he said softly, sipping his coffee.
Jaune let out a breath, schooling his features into something resembling calmness.
"I realize this all sounds unbelievable." he said, fighting the impulse to rub his hands together.
"Its the truth." Ren spoke up, looking to his friends for reassurance.
Emboldened, Pyrrha nodded with them. "I don't say this lightly, but this is the most important discovery since Dust. It'll change all of Remnant."
"I believe you."
"And you can bet things will-" Nora paused with her hand in the air, her expression falling away. "Huh?"
Jaune had his mouth open to begin extolling the Headmaster to see the truth, but no words came out. Slowly he creaked his head to the side, meeting dumbfounded looks. The best he could do was echo, "What?"
Ozpin swirled the contents of his cup. "I believe you."
Nora's arm fell, the girl's jaw lowering while she frowned. "You... you do?"
"Wait." Jaune had to shake his head, frowning as he rubbed his ears. "You believe us. Just like that." he stated flatly, utterly dumbfounded. Ren and Pyrrha exchanged identical looks of confusion.
"I admit your story is incredible." Ozpin sipped from his cup before continuing. "But the very fact that its you four telling me this does wonders for your authenticity."
Nora blinked once, her abject confusion making her face look like a poorly made doll. Not that her friends were any better.
"It's either assume you're all suffering from a unique form of delusional psychosis, which doesn't explain how you quite literally vanished from the face of Remnant, or your outfits for that matter." at that each of the team coughed, shuffling in place anxiously. "Or assume you're telling the truth. The rest follows from there." Ozpin concluded with a swig of coffee, his tone never changing.
"Huh." Nora got out numbly.
His gaze flicked to her. "Is there a problem?"
"Um." she gulped. "Its just..."
"Nobody's ever just, I dunno, got it this quickly." Jaune spoke too, his eyebrow raised as far as he could lift it. "Usually its disbelief, then laughing at the joke."
"Yeah, that's how it usually goes." Pyrrha agreed, nodding carefully.
"Not everyone is as understanding as I am. With that said." Ozpin paused to put his treasured cup back on the desk. "Can I assume more people from this 'Stargate Command' are coming here?"
All of the team save the still dumbfounded Nora nodded, Jaune coughing into his fist. "Yeah, they're coming here by starship-"
"The USAF Prometheus." Ren interrupted, catching a look from his leader.
"Yeah. Anyway, it'll be here in..." Jaune paused to bring up his arm, pulling back his jacket sleeve in order to look at his wrist. "A little under thirty three hours."
"For what reason are they traveling here?" Ozpin inquired.
Ren coughed. "Trade would be the first item, swapping technology. If it goes well, they might try to set up an alliance."
"A cool alliance." Nora added, looking to him for approval. His nod made her pump a fist, briefly grinning in triumph.
"I see." Ozpin nodded once. "Then we better start making preparations."
As his former students watched, the Headmaster reached around once more, this time retrieving a hand sized scroll. "For the time being, I'm going to place you in one of the guest dorms. I am also setting aside a small fund which you will have to share, for food and the like." he flicked his eyes towards them once again. "May I suggest a change in wardrobe at the first opportunity?"
As Nora groaned, Jaune and the others nodded quickly.
"Yeah, lets, yeah." he said, frowning at the strange situation. Ren exchanged looks with him and the redhead, brow furrowed.
"I must ask that you remain in Beacon for now. If you wish to go to Vale, inform me first. I must also insist you keep the manner of your arrival a secret for now. But I can assume you already planned on that." Vigorous nods met his words, causing Ozpin to dip his head once.
"Um, thank you." Pyrrha said quickly, a relieved smile worming its way onto her features.
"It is no problem. Once again, welcome back." Ozpin said, clicking something on his scroll.
The door to the office opened, catching the team's attention. Ren and Pyrrha gave the Headmaster sedate waves as they left, Jaune shrugged weakly before waving as well, and Nora finished with a loud, "Thanks!"
Glynda entered several seconds later, quickly locking the door behind her before striding to the desk. Ozpin noted how pale the professor appeared, evidently shaken by what she heard during his conversation.
"I'm guessing the story you were told was as unbelievable as mine." he ventured, making the woman nod guardedly.
"I should discipline them for misuse of academy property, but..." Goodwitch took a breath instead of continuing.
"We'll sweep this under the rug, so to speak. For now, we have to prepare for the arrival of the 'Tau'ri' as the Earth people are called." Ozpin said, reaching for his cup once again.
Glynda gave him a sharp look. "You actually think they're coming here?"
"I do." he confirmed, sipping from his eternally useful coffee. "Team JNPR was rather forthcoming with information regarding this Stargate Command. I do not believe they told me everything however, whether for brevity's sake or some other reason, but it was enough."
Glynda straightened herself up, pushing her emotions to the side for now. "Then we should prepare."
"Of course. Contact the Vale police department, we may need their assistance in this matter. See to it neither RWBY nor JNPR discloses today's events on the net." he calmly ordered.
"And you?" she checked.
"I will contact the Council and the Headmasters of the other Academies. We'll have to manage this situation correctly, otherwise there could be a panic. In the immediate future, I will ask General Ironwood to bring himself and a battalions worth of soldiers here." Upon noticing the curled lips of his most trusted confidant, he paused. "I'm aware of your opinion on Atlas Glynda. But I believe they acquitted themselves well eight months ago, given the situation. In any case, the Earth ship coming here is likely military. As fellow soldiers, they may find it easier to relate."
Sighing testily, Glynda nodded. "Very well."
The corners of Ozpin's mouth curled upwards.
"Exciting times we live in, wouldn't you agree?" he inquired genially, sipping his coffee once again.
"Not what you expected out of today, isn't it?" she asked back.
Ozpin turned to look out the window, perfectly aware of his unusual grin. "No. No it was not."
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A/N: So ends the first arc, along with this really long day. Credit towards editing as usual goes to KisaragiKei, without whom this story would be so much worse than it already is. Special thanks to finstermunker, who tore this story apart at my request. Dude, you should have posted the entire riff in a review so everyone can see it. Not kidding, point out the flaws so I can fix them.
To everyone who put a favorite and/or a follow on this story, and you know who you are, I thank you from the depths of my black heart. I'd list names, except the number (as of this posting) is currently at 59 and 103 respectively. Seriously, thank you all.
Because I haven't said it in a while, I do not own Stargate or RWBY. No matter how much I wish I did. Anything else you spot isn't mine either. Except for... ah who am I kidding.
Tune in next time for "Arrival from Beyond".
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Ruby picked up when she saw Jaune walking towards the elevator, though her elation was dashed when she saw the hollow look all of JNPR sported. Yang put away her scroll, planting her fists on her hips as she faced them. Both Weiss and Blake stopped what they were doing to pay attention.
"So, how'd it go?" she asked.
Ren answered her, disbelief written all over him. "Well."
"That's good news. Isn't it?" Ruby asked confusedly, turning to each of them for some clue.
"Yeah but..." Jaune ran a hand over his face.
"It never goes well. Like, ever." Nora shook her head while she frowned, Pyrrha nodding on sullen agreement.
Instead of letting herself get caught up in their malaise, Yang clapped her hands.
"Anyway, its over now. So you know what this means?" all seven of her friends adopted curious frowns when they glanced to her, making the blonde grin. "Time for clothes shopping!" she proclaimed with a pumped fist.
"Always on with the clothes." Nora muttered disdainfully, though she spared a grimace at her and her friends' uniforms.
"Because this." Yang started as she pointed to Jaune; the direction her finger was aiming at happened to be his torso.
Blake alone realized what the blonde planned, her eyes widening at her split second warning. "No-"
"This isn't gonna fly." Yang finished, wearing the biggest self satisfied grin any of them had ever seen before.
The groans which ripped through all of them made her cackle.