Team RWBY was standing around the briefing room's central table in the barracks. All of them had their weapons clipped and reloaded for their next mission. Ruby was leading them on this mission and she was determined to make it a successful one.

Ruby tapped something on the table's control panel. "Alright team, here's our mission."

A hologram of a tall tower-like structure appeared above the table. "Nagi has informed me about the ship's original functions. The Lifehold, as they call this, is supposed to be something like a central hub for the others to restore the human race and keep them surviving. When the ship crashed, it scattered pieces of the Lifehold everywhere. Fortunately, they picked up the location for a Lifehold Unit in Noctilum."

Weiss pointed at the place on the map. "So, Nagi wants us to get to the unit and retrieve any information from it? Seems like an easy errand."

Blake coughed. "Not exactly what I'd prefer to do as our first independent mission."

Ruby shook her head. "That's not it. I've received word that Elma's team is on their way to the Lifehold as we speak. We're going to provide backup if they run into trouble. Until then, we'll be setting up some Data Probes nearby to collect some rare ores. Nagi's already updated our maps with our assigned points."

Blake checked her Frontier Nav tablet. "So, that's all we'll be doing unless Elma needs backup?"

Yang smirked. "Probe-ably!"

Ruby slapped her hand to her forehead. "Yang! That was bad."

Weiss ignored the sisters' antics. "Let's get going. We'll need to be quick to finish the mission in time."

Blake drew her dual guns. "I'd say we're already late."

At that, all four of them rushed out of the barracks, deciding to leave Zwei at the last minute.

Emm shouldered her sword and kicked back the severed legs of the Forfex she slaughtered. "Another beautiful kill."

N-Sight wiped the mucus off of his glasses. "Would it kill you to avoid these 'glory kills' of yours?"

Emm laughed. "You just can't stomach my favorite way of destroying these monsters."

N-Sight sighed. "And you picked this up from Dusk."

Emm shrugged. "Maybe, but I only do this when you're the victim, so it's just between us."

N-Sight returned his beam sword to its clip on his belt. "Let's just hurry. That lifehold unit isn't going to retrieve itself."

Elma laughed from behind them. "Seriously, you two are acting like a brother and a sister would. Why don't you two ever stop fighting?"

N-Sight shook his head. "I wish I knew, but it was the same way back on Earth." He looked up at the sky as if he was expecting to see something.

Lin folded up her Gatling gun. "Oh, that reminds me: you still haven't told us your origin story yet."

N-Sight started up the trail ahead of them. "Not the time, Lin!"

Tatsu ran up behind him and bounced up and down vigorously. "Tatsu want to know why Sighty sad."

N-Sight threw his hand over his shoulder. "Again, not the time Tatsu."

Emm shouldered her longsword, following him up the trail. "Guys, don't push him to tell us. He's still sad about what he lost and isn't ready to tell us why yet."

Elma looked at Emm with curiosity. "Do you know anything about this?"

Emm winked. "Elma, if I spilled what I knew, I'd have a bounty on my head."

Elma thought it over before she finally shrugged and put the thought aside. "Alright, we'll spare you the bounty. Let's get to the lifehold unit before N-Sight decides to do something we all would regret."

The five of them ran on ahead, making their way through the marshlands of Noctilum and crossing Goblin's Narrow, passing into the northern frontier. Before they could get too far, a Tyrant of the Insidia species, Lambert the Divine Wind, burst towards them at running speed. N-Sight immediately drew his photon saber and ignited it.

"I've run into this Tyrant twice before," he grimaced. "This guy nearly killed me both times."

Emm drew her katana. "This time, you have some backup. We'll drive him off and press on."

N-Sight nodded. "Thanks. Let's do this."

N-Sight sped forward towards the charging bipedal dino. As Lambert got closer, the raptor-like indigen attempted to stab N-Sight with its large beak. N-Sight slid under the attack and slashed at the raptor's stomach, catching it off-guard and sending it staggering off-course. Emm responded by shooting a spread of five shots at it, sending the indigen toppling to the ground. Lin jumped towards the fallen indigen and dropped a small bomb, which detonated and propelled her forward slightly, forcing her to roll upon reaching the ground. Elma followed up by using her twin swords to slice off the tail of the raptor. As she moved to the indigen's rear, Lambert fired a rock from its beak at her, landing on her chest and knocking her back. Elma took a moment to recover, but as she regained her composure, the indigen's foot smacked into her side, sending her flying again. N-Sight rushed in at that moment and slashed Lambert's crest, sending the feathers on it flying in all directions.

N-Sight realized what could turn the tide of the battle in their favor. "Emm! Flaming Glass!"

Emm held her katana aloft as it burst into flames. N-Sight rushed up next to her and they both began slashing at Lambert, alternating blows and confusing their opponent. Lambert took two steps back and received a combo strike from both blades, slashing the tail off and sending him falling.

N-Sight turned to the other two party members. "Elma! Lin! Falling Scissors!"

Elma dashed forward, both blades at her side. Lin raised her shield and crouched down. Elma landed on the shield, jumping off of it as Lin forced the shield upward. Elma was sent flying into the air, proceeding to fall and land her blades in the raptor's neck decapitating the beast and sending the head rolling into N-Sight and splashing him in blue blood.

The lone dude of the team took off his glasses and wiped them clean. "Alright. I deserved this one."

Emm began laughing hysterically. "You really need to watch where you stand next time," Elma sighed, shaking her head.

N-Sight sighed, deactivating his photon sword and clipping it to his hip. He looked back along Goblin's Narrow to see that Team RWBY had arrived and witnessed the decapitation of the raptor. Yang looked on with a grin, giving a thumbs up to the goo-covered Blade. Weiss had her head in her hand, shaking it in disappointment. Blake had her usual deadpan expression. Ruby had her sniper rifle cradled in her hands, cocking back a round.

"One moment more and I could've made this a quick and clean kill."

N-Sight shook his head. "I didn't know you four were right behind us."

Elma sheathed her swords. "Let's keep going. According to the beacon, we're almost there."

Elma, Lin, and Emm went on ahead with Weiss, Blake, and Yang close behind. N-Sight and Ruby held back, just out of earshot.

Ruby leaned in towards him. "So, you don't like brutality, right?"

N-Sight shook his head. "Not really. Emm just likes to tease me about this kind of thing."

Ruby shrugged. "If you don't like the way a beast splatters all over the place when it dies, why do you only carry a photon saber? And why don't you have a ranged weapon?"

N-Sight held his blade, still deactivated, up at chest level. "I've always had an appreciation for the honor that comes with wielding such a weapon. It's a graceful weapon, focusing on precise strikes and keeping the user balanced." He clamped his weapon to his hip. "Besides, I enjoy how the sword burns the skin of my opponents, making kills less likely to splatter upon severing certain limbs."

Ruby nodded. "I don't know, ranged weapons make cleaner kills than that."

N-Sight crossed his arms. "Regardless, I never carry my ranged weaponry out in the open. I'm a bit of a special case when it comes to technology. I'll build it for others, or I'll keep it a secret and use it as a trump card."

Ruby sighed. "Are we ever going to see you fire a gun?"

N-Sight thought about it for a moment. "Not really sure. I'd be happy to give you a demonstration when the time is right, but there never is a good moment for it."

There was a moment of silence, followed by an explosion. "What was that?!" Ruby shouted.

N-Sight took off. "It's not good!"

Ruby took off after him, before they both were met with the sight of what made the explosion. Prone had found the lifehold unit first and were now firing lasers at it, trying to destroy it. There were maybe twenty of them, too many for them to take down with just the eight of them. N-Sight looked on in horror as he began to identify the other lifeforms stationed with them.

The first was a young man with spiked silver hair. He was wearing black pants with cyan power stripes and a gray shirt with black edging. There was no weapon on him, so far as N-Sight could tell, but his boots were sporting what looked like a belt of shotgun shells and tough chromium armor.

The second was an alien lifeform, more majestic in nature. She looked like another species that was superior to the Prone, maybe the Ganglion. She wore dark blue and black clothing, but her skin was a blue and purple hue. She carried no weapons, but her tentacles on her head were sparking a little all along their surface. N-Sight would have wagered that they were used in battle to stun or zap her opponents.

Elma looked on in anger but kept her rage contained. "This isn't right. We need this information for later."

Yang cocked back her gauntlets. "Let's take it back!"

Her yell alerted the Prone and their companions to the newcomers' presence. The Prone stopped firing, turning their rifles towards the intruders. The Ganglion turned towards the others, a malicious smirk on her face. The human accompanying them shook his head.

"I knew you four would try to stop this," he said, his arms crossing as he said it.

Ruby cocked her sniper rifle. "Back off, Mercury! The lifehold is ours!"

Mercury shrugged. "Who really cares about this part? It's only useless information. The real prize is the core."

N-Sight looked to Ruby. "You know this guy?"

Weiss nodded. "He's the pilot we saw yesterday: the guy who Yang dismembered in the tournament."

Blake glared at Mercury. "Weren't you in the hospital?"

Mercury shook his head. "Nope. I had robotic legs the whole time."

Yang glared at him. "Wait, that was all a setup?"

Mercury smiled. "Now she gets it."

The ganglion next to him crossed her arms. "She doesn't look like she'd put up that much of a fight." She motioned to the Prone. "Attack them now while we have the chance."

The Prone closest to her responded. "Yes, Mistress Goetia."

Yang closed her eyes before opening them, her pupils now changed into a deep red color. "Okay! You die today!"

Yang burst forward and smacked her gauntlets into the back of one Prone, sending him flying into another two and blasting all three into the wall behind them. Weiss dashed in and slashed at another before locking blades with a fifth. Blake ran forward and held off two more with her dual swords. Ruby took up her longsword and held off the eighth. Elma and Lin took on a few others, leaving Emm and N-Sight to take care of the leaders.

N-Sight looked towards his partner and nodded. Emm vaulted into the air over N-Sight, reaching the leaders faster than they could draw their weapons. N-Sight ran behind her, tapping a button on his comlink before putting it away. Emm was already fending off against Goetia, using her katana to block the electrified whip cracks. She wrapped the tentacular whips around her sword and swept her feet under Goetia, sending her falling to the ground.

It was at this time that N-Sight's upgrade arrived. He held out his right and left arms, just in time to catch two wristbands of solid platinum. Two thin green lasers burst out from them, covering his hand in plasma and giving him twin plasma blades. He ran forward, slashing through two approaching Prone and charging towards Mercury.

Mercury saw him coming, blocking N-Sight's blades with his boots. N-Sight stepped back, spinning his blades in an arc, catching Mercury off guard and sending him sprawling backward. Mercury rolled forward and leaped back to his feet, using his shotgun boots to launch himself towards his opponent. N-Sight rolled back, kicking Mercury in the chest and gaining some distance between him and the traitorous human. N-Sight shot forward and landed a clean blow to Mercury's boots, cutting his weaponry off and tossing it away. Mercury jumped away and tried to run off, but N-Sight deactivated one of his laser blades and grabbed something from his belt. He threw the small item at Mercury, landing the shot and tangling the enhanced human in a stun net.

N-Sight looked back towards the group to see Emm tossed to the side by Goetia. N-Sight deactivated his other blade and rushed after her, catching his partner before she could hit the ground. Emm felt worn out, looked beat up, and seemed kind of sleepy. N-Sight said nothing, choosing to lay her down at the foot of a tree a short distance away and stand guard.

By this point, Goetia had gained enough distance to escape. The last of the Prone had just been slain and Mercury was caught in the stun net. Ruby signaled to her team and they all put their weapons away. Elma was the only one to keep her sword out, walking up to Mercury with it held at her side.

Elma stopped, holding the sword at his neck. "Who are you working for?"

Mercury smirked at her. "And why would I answer to you?"

Elma held the sword up higher. "Because this Blade is willing to leave your cold body here where none will find you."

Mercury shook his head. "If it was any other human, you might have a threatening presence. However, I have a list of things that makes you seem cute. My boss is a woman twice as menacing as you, I am no longer afraid of anything anymore, I hate my life above all else, and I always have a way to get the job done."

With this, Mercury fired a shot from his boots at the lifehold unit. Elma saw where the shot was headed and knew that it would explode the whole unit.

"Get back!" she yelled, kicking Mercury in the head and dashing towards Lin.

As soon as she reached Lin, who had raised her shield for Elma and Tatsu to hide behind, the lifehold unit detonated, scattering debris everywhere and creating a shockwave that knocked Team RWBY off of their feet. Elma and Lin held onto the shield and braced themselves against the blast.

When the dust had finally settled, Elma and Lin dropped the shield, revealing the destroyed remains of the lifehold unit: burned out and unusable. Team RWBY had managed to land safely in the trees when they were launched upward. N-Sight and Emm weren't in her sight, but she expected them to be close by.

Elma stood up and called out, "Is anyone hurt?"

Ruby coughed aloud. "I'm okay."

Weiss dropped down and brushed herself off. "Nothing that can't be healed."

Yang broke the branch she was resting on, falling to the ground with it. "Well, no more than that."

Blake slid down the tree with her blade embedded in its trunk. "I'm fine."

Elma looked to Lin and Tatsu. "You two stay here. I'm going to look for Emm and N-Sight."

Lin nodded as Tatsu stood to shake himself off. Elma made her way through the wreckage to the forest that N-Sight had disappeared into. She noticed that a trail of dirt was going into the thicket, headed in the direction of her comrades. When Elma realized what made the trail, she was surprised at what she saw. N-Sight was holding his twin plasma blades to the side, a large metal piece to either side of him and Emm behind him, asleep at the foot of the tree.

N-Sight deactivated both blades when he saw Elma approaching. "So, the lifehold piece exploded?"

Elma nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. We could have used the information from it."

"What about Mercury?"

"He was the one that blew it up. I can't imagine that he's still alive."

N-Sight shook his head. "What a way to go."

Elma looked down at Emm. "What happened to her?"

N-Sight stooped down and picked her up in his arms, bridal style. "She may have overexerted herself, but I'm sure she'll be fine when she wakes up."

Elma shrugged. "Most likely. I'll call for an evac and they'll pick you two up."

N-Sight nodded as they started walking back to the others. "Thank you, Elma."

Team RWBY was seated in the Barracks, all four members nervous about their friend's chances. Ruby was cuddling with Zwei, who had curled up on her lap. Weiss was writing something on her comlink, but her expression kept changing with each passing minute. Blake was sharpening her weapons, making sure they were ready for their next fight. Yang remained motionless, a new first for her, with both hands clasped together and held out in front of her. No one dared to say a word until someone came in.

They all looked up when they heard the door open. Elma and Lin walked in with Tatsu bouncing behind them. Elma locked eyes with Ruby, giving her a look that said, "Not yet."

Elma sat down next to Yang, across from Ruby. "Emm will be fine, but she needs some time to recover. N-Sight is by her side as we speak."

All four huntresses let out a sigh of relief. Lin began working on dinner, something called foie gras. As the aroma began to drift around the room, Tatsu began dancing off in one corner of the room.

Ruby posed her concern to the group. "Is this going to become a regular occurrence for her?"

Elma shook her head. "I don't think so. N-Sight explained her condition and he admitted that the day's events strained her a little too much. He'll help her more in the future and hopefully relieve her stress levels."

Yang shook her head. "It seems like she didn't sleep well last night either. She had dark circles under her eyes."

Elma shook her head. "That might be one possibility, but I'll have N-Sight look further into it."

Weiss crossed her arms. "Well, what do we do now? Your team is out of commission until Emm is back on her feet."

Elma nodded. "That may be so, but Lin is still going to cook for you all when you return again tomorrow evening."

Blake held up her hand. "Wait, you may have skipped something."

Elma shook her head. "My team may be down for the count, but you all are working with Irina and Gwinn tomorrow. They wanted to spend some time with other people outside of their team and I recommended you four."

Weiss looked slightly concerned. "What's the mission for tomorrow?"

Lin called out to them from her place at the stove. "Taking out a Tyrant that showed up recently. Did you all see that mission: 'Roderick, the Fleet-footed'?"

Yang frowned. "I remember seeing it on the board yesterday, but we decided to take on another mission instead."

Elma gestured towards the blonde bombshell. "Well, Irina and Gwinn wanted to take out this new Tyrant before someone else did. Regardless, the other two members of their team happen to be out of commission as well. They asked me who they could add to their team and I offered for you all to join them."

Weiss thought about it for a moment. "I guess we could learn something from them on this mission."

Ruby clasped her hands together. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow, we'll be backing up Irina and Gwinn."

Blake frowned as she looked at Elma. "What will you be doing tomorrow, Elma?"

Elma placed a finger to her chin. "Seeing as how my team isn't up for battle tomorrow, I'll be helping out around the commercial district. There's a friend of mine who wanted some help with an inner-city task."

Blake smiled. "Seems fine by me."

Lin clapped her hands twice. "Dinner's ready!"

Emm: You're a jerk!

N-Sight: Hey! I helped you when you fell in combat!

Emm: You're still a jerk.

N-Sight: What did I do this time?

Emm: You haven't updated DOOM: GTOV yet!

N-Sight: Okay, I get it. I'm updating it March 5th. There. Happy?

Emm: Slightly, but are you caught up yet on those chapters?

N-Sight: Almost. I'm going to need a few weeks to catch up, but it won't take too long.

Emm: Just make sure you upload this next chapter on time, I want to see what I'll do next.

N-Sight: You'll be out of the spotlight this time.

Emm: What?!

N-Sight: Blake and Irina will be front and center for the most part. The next chapter will focus on a side-quest from the game.

Emm: You're a jerk!

N-Sight: Find a new insult, Emm.