"Rear Admiral Ozpin."

"Esteemed Members of the Council."

"It has come to our attention that you are preparing some sort of... secret weapon... against the threat that is posed by Atlas, without the sanction of this government."

"I am doing no such thing."

"Really? Then the construction of the second largest vessel in human history, upon your orders might we add, is merely a coincidence?"

"That ship will not be used in any wars, at least none that will occur between humans."

"So you admit that it is military in nature?"

"To a certain degree. I intend for it to serve as a lasting foundation for hopefully peaceful talks among the many nations."

"And you assume that this council, or even the governments of our enemies, would begin peace talks merely because you built a ship?"

"Of course not."

"Then Admiral, can I assume that you intend it to be some sort of peace offering to the Faunas?"

"Hardly, Councilman."

"Then, if I may, Admiral, what is the purpose of that ship?"

"What I intend for that ship isn't meant for us, who are old and set in our ways. That ship isn't meant for the people of the galaxy, to point at and give their meaningless praise, though I know they will. It isn't even meant for the faunas, as some useless gesture of goodwill, a ship which they can claim some measure of power. None of those options would change anything, in the end. Those are all acts of the here and now, trying to change what is happening, not what will happen. That is the true measure of an act worth doing. Will anything this council does, will anything I have done, be remembered? I doubt it. When even the books forget who you are, that time is inevitable. A hundred years. A thousand. Everything will change eventually. My dream is not for us, Members of the Council, and therefore, not for your ears to hear. When my ship is completed, when its crew first takes their place at its controls, they will get to hear my dream."

- Rear Admiral Ozpin, Commander of the Seventh Fleet, Hero of Vytal, at a questioning before the Grand Council of Vytal

Blake stood silently on the observation deck of the Signal, eyes watching the stars appear and disappear within mere moments of each other through the holographic imaging system. This was one of her favorite times, the few minutes of a warp jump, when the whole universe, and all the problems in it, just seemed to vanish. The silence that accompanied the entire event just added to the gravity of it all, which it why it came as a rather rude interruption when her new "friend" barged in, practically shoving the automatic door to the side in her haste to enter the room. A broad grin spread across the blonde-haired Yang Xiao Long, self-styled bounty hunter extraordinaire, as her gaze fell on the faunas girl, who suddenly wished dearly that she was anywhere else but here.

"Blakey! There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you! Velvet says this should be our last jump before we reach the Beacon."

"I'm aware."

"Really? Well, it'll be our new home for awhile, huh? Think there'll be any hot guys on board?"

Blake glared silently at the woman, hoping the blonde would just go away, but there was little hope of that. Ever since she'd come aboard and learned that Blake was not only another bounty hunter(Cool! We can be bounty buddies!) and that she also had a Hunter unit(We can be bounty buddies AND Hunter buddies!), Yang had been insistent on spending as much time around her as possible. Blake had thought it tolerable at first, and once it had become annoying, she'd happily retreated to her room to read. Still, every time she came out of her room, that bounty hunter seemed to sense it and hunt her down, wherever she was. Thankfully, she'd hopefully have more distractions once they'd finally reached their destination. For now though, the blonde continued being loud, which just made Blake's cat like ears twitch under the bow she now wore to hide them. She ignored most of what was said, instead choosing to crack open a book she'd brought with her, but before she could get too engrossed in her reading, a single sentence caught her attention.

"I heard from some of the others that there's supposed to be two more of us already on the Beacon."

"... Us?"

"Oh! That got you! Yeah, two more Hunter pilots."

"I... see. Hm."

"What? Hey, you got this look on your face that says you know something, and it isn't fair to keep your bounty buddy out of the loop."

"I don't remember agreeing to that."

"Doesn't matter, come on! Tell me!"

Yang started shaking Blake back and forth, causing the faunas girl's neck to start hurting from the sheer force of the rocking motion, before she managed to break free of her grip and hiss in annoyance. She didn't need someone snapping her neck just over a simple suspicion, and it wasn't like she wasn't already prepared to tell her. It couldn't hurt to have a second opinion about what was going on, particularly when it was a Rear Admiral bringing them all together, and one of the most famous at that.

"I just think it's a little... odd... that you'd bring together four Hunter units, and their pilots, just for the launching of a new ship. There has to be something going on."

"Oh... Is that all?"

"Is that... all?"

"Yeah, I mean, of COURSE there is something going on. But what does it matter? We're both bounty hunters, we're both getting paid, so who cares what the job actually is, right? It's probably just a publicity stunt or something. 'Oh look, guys, we got Hunters on our ships now', blah, blah, blah. I think you're worrying too much."

Blake frowned again, still not entirely convinced. Besides, while she WAS getting paid, that wasn't what had gotten her to come. The promise of a clean slate had, a release from her checkered past. Yang did have a point though. In the end, it didn't really matter what the job was, or why they were doing it. She would just have to do as she was instructed, and then move on as quickly as possible. Now just to figure out what would satisfy the Admiral. Blake's ears twitched again, and she glanced towards the viewing "window" again, superior vision already noting the stars disappearing much more slowly than they had before. Yang seemed to notice the action, turning towards the window as well to frown at it in confusion, only for an answer to come over the intercom.

"Reentering real time in three... two... one..."

The jolt back to real time came quickly, everyone on board feeling the force of the sudden stop hit them like a wave, inertial dampeners working to take away as much of the force as possible. Once Blake had regained her balance, much more quickly so than her less sure footed companion, she was out the door, heading for the bridge and hopefully an explanation. She'd barely made it down the corridor when she heard the unmistakable sound of Yang's dash to keep up, although that was hardly the issue. The pair made it a few more hallways before they were intercepted by none other than Lieutenant Velvet Scarlatina, who squeaked in surprise at nearly running into them before saluting.

"Um... Your ships are being transferred to the Beacon as we speak, but we need to take a shuttle over ourselves. Due to time constraints, we already had your things shipped over and placed within your assigned rooms. If you'll follow me..."

Both girls nodded, although Blake couldn't help but feel like she was being dragged into a gaping black hole she'd never escape from, and they were quickly led to the shuttle bay. The place was actually just more of a port, since the shuttle was only there to receive passengers, but soon enough they were on their way, and Yang was happy to start pointing out things she'd never seen before, being from the frontier worlds. Blake played along with the girl, giving the appropriate responses here and there, partly just to keep her companion happy, and partly because she'd never seen them either. Still, as they neared the Beacon, someone said something to Velvet and she nodded in understanding, murmuring something back before turning to the two and hastily getting their attention.

"The Admiral is broadcasting a message to the crew, and he wanted you two to hear it as well. So... uh... well..."

Velvet gestured to one of the crew members, who quickly flipped a switch. For a moment, there was only silence, and then it began.

"Crew of the Beacon, this is Rear Admiral Ozpin speaking. I hope I'm not interrupting too important, I'm well aware of the tiem constraints I've placed upon you all. Believe me, please, when I say that there is a good reason for my haste. Still, that can wait till another time. Today, at this moment, I'm speaking to you not as an Admiral, or your commander, or even as a citizen of Vale.

"I'm speaking to you as a person. As myself. Simply Ozpin. I want you all to be aware of my reasons for building this ship. For gathering you all together. I'm sure many of you have already noticed, or soon will. There are not old men here to boss you around. To tell you what is right and wrong. Every crew member aboard the Beacon is, much to the annoyance of many Councilors, under the age of 21. An amazing feat, many might say, and a foolhardy one. To have so little experience, to rely on mere talent and the promise of something great to come. But I believe that is the hope of our world.

"I intend for the Beacon to serve as a symbol. Not of humanities strength, that is obviously not true, given the faunas that now serve alongside you. Nor do I wish it to represent any single nation, which likewise, many nationalities are represented among those aboard. No, this ship is intended as a symbol of the future. I brought you, the greatest and most promising youths of your generation, together for the sole purpose of bring our galaxy towards a better future. To be completely frank, most of you will never make it into a history book. Those of you that do, I can assure you will someday be forgotten just the same. Even this ship will someday lie derelict somewhere, or be melted down and remade. But the things you represent, the ideals you uphold, that can be remembered forever, carried forward by generation after generation.

"I am sure you all expected some speech about the first step in a journey, or how this ships was meant to protect the people. Perhaps you even thought I might suggest that you were all not good enough yet, that you were all simply bundles of pointless energy, awaiting a purpose to dedicate yourselves to. It is not my place to say how you will live your lives, which doors you will open and which you will ignore. But please know this. As long as you serve aboard this ship, I will see you as a representative not of your nations, or your race, or your homes. I will see you as a representative of the future. Of hope. Of all those things that every soldier fights for.

"I will end my speech here. For those of you who do not believe yourselves up to the things I ask of you, shuttles are prepared and ready to take you to the planetary station, and you will be shipped home from there. But those of you who stay, I say only one thing.

"You will be the beacons of our future. Never forget that."

Yang had lost interest in the speech fairly quickly. She'd still listened of course, it was, in her opinion, part of her job, but it seemed a little clichéd to her. Maybe it was because she wasn't a hopeless idealist. Or maybe it was the fact that she was born on the frontier, a region notorious for its lack of idealism. Or maybe it was just because she didn't really consider herself part of the crew, and therefore the speech had nothing to do with her. Still, the blonde woman couldn't help but admit that Ruby would have eaten up that stuff with a spoon. That thought just made her think of her younger sibling, and that got her feeling guilty about not taking the time to tell anyone about where she'd gone. She'd meant to call her father, she'd swear to anyone she'd meant to, but just hadn't really gotten around to it.

Her thoughts were cut short as she felt the shuttle come to a halt. She paused a moment, then smiled happily and bounced to her feet, following behind Velvet and Blake. The two were the only other passengers that were apparently ending their journey here as well, not that Yang minded. Blake had been fun to be around, if only because she seemed to tolerate her own brand of tormenting with stoic acceptance. And Velvet was just so adorable, even if she was an officer. Still, as they took their first steps onto the Beacon, another officer stepped up and saluted Velvet, passing a few mumbled words along before turning to the two bounty hunters, even as Velvet offered a small apologetic bow before dashing off.

Not that Yang would complain about that either. While he might be a little on the thin side for Yang's usual tastes, and he certainly wasn't the most handsome guy around, he was still generally pleasing to the blonde's eye. This military gig just kept getting better and better. Maybe she'd even get a little teasing in before they got to wherever they were inevitably going to be taken. The urge to tease just got even stronger as the officer saluted them and introduced himself.

"Ms. Xiao Long? Ms. Belladonna? A pleasure to meet you both. I'm Lieutenant Juane Arc, I'll be serving as your security officer while you are aboard the Beacon."

That did it. Yang couldn't contain herself anymore, and silently adjusted her shirt a little to reveal her chest a bit more than it normally would. Then it was a simple matter to sidle up to him, swaying her hips just so, and lean into his arm, enveloping it in pillowy heaven.

"Nice to meet you, Lieutenant. I hope you'll take GOOD care of me in the future~"

The poor man's face blushed scarlet, and he stared at her in shock for a moment. Yang could have sworn she heard a disapproving hum from behind her, Blake probably, but Juane's reaction was simply too much to pass up. Besides, he'd given her the perfect chance to say something else.

"You should probably close your mouth, Lover Boy. Don't want drool dripping out."

There was an audible click as his mouth closed, then Juane seemed to remember where he was and what he was doing. He shook his head clear of any further distractions, awkwardly disengaged himself from Yang's grasp and took a good size step away, straightening out his coat as he did so.

"Ah... well, ma'am, I'll... I'll try my best. R-Regardless, you're expected in the conference room, so if you'll follow me please."

Yang chuckled as the officer turned away and began walking off before following after him, returning her clothing to its slightly less revealing norm. Blake quickly joined the pair, keeping quiet and trying to avoid notice. Yang frowned slightly at that, she didn't want her new best bud being so cautious, it wasn't like anyone was trying to hurt them or anything. Well, that just meant she'd have to work at getting her black-haired comrade to break out of her shell. Reminded her a bit of Ruby actually. So socially awkward with people she'd never met, it was kinda sad in a way. Oh well.

"Hey, Blakey!"

"... Seriously?"

"Aw, come on. It's just one little nickname."

"It's terrible."

"No rule anywhere has ever said nicknames couldn't be terrible. Besides, I like it, and that's good enough for me. Anyway, I don't think I ever asked you how you got into the whole bounty hunter gig."

Yang could have sworn that Blake's body suddenly tensed, but if it had, she just as quickly relaxed. For a few minutes they walked in silence, before Blake finally decided to break the silence. Her response, however, left the blonde woman even more curious about her, which just ended up being infuriating.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

Before Yang could get in a response, Juane stopped next to a door, saluting and indicating that this was their destination. Blake was through the door moments later, clearly taking the opportunity to end the conversation there. Yang growled in annoyance, then stepped through the door herself, throwing a quick glance around the room to find out if anyone else was here. Blake was easily spotted, already seated and cracking open a book(why not just use an electronic reader?), and there was a white-haired girl here was well, filing her nails like some preppy little princess or something. The last occupant, however, seemed to notice her at just the same time as Yang's gaze settled, and judging by the sudden cringing, she knew what was coming next.

"RUBY?!"

"H-Hey, Yang. Um... how ya been?"

"What are you even doing here, Ruby? Shouldn't you be back on Patch?"

"Well... uh, heh... kinda a funny story there..."

"Rubes, I ain't laughin."

"Well... you see..."

The door behind Yang opened again, and Ruby let out a sigh of relief upon seeing who it was. Anything to avoid having to explain anything to her sister, even just a little bit longer. Captain Goodwitch stepped into the room, taking in the scene before her before gesturing for Yang to take a seat. The blonde did so grudgingly, seating herself next to her sister and giving Ruby one last glare before focusing on the Captain. Goodwitch, for her part, stepped to the side and let another person into the room, an older man that Yang swore she'd seen before. It was only when he started speaking that she placed him.

"Wonderful to finally meet you all. I'm Rear Admiral-"

"You're Ozpin!"

"... Yes, I am."

"THE Ozpin!"

"That's correct."

"The Ozpin that single-handedly defeated three fleets of the Atlas Navy using only a single fleet and an asteroid belt!"

"Hardly single-handedly. I had quite a bit of help from that one fleet, I think."

"But you're... you're... sooo COOOOL~"

"Rubes. Shut up and let the man talk."

Ruby was, to put it lightly, ecstatic. Yang, on the other hand, was tempted to make her face meet her palm, somewhat embarrassed that her sister was such a dork. Still, she wouldn't be Ruby if she hadn't acted like that. Regardless, he was here for a reason, and Yang kinda wanted to know what it was. Thankfully, it seemed Ozpin had no intentions of keeping them in the dark for long. He chuckled lightly at Ruby's antics before growing more serious, gesturing for Goodwitch to activate the video screen, which began to play a video of a Hunter unit Yang had never seen before tearing through a bunch of Grimm with some sort of scythe weapon.

"This is a video taken a few months ago of the first Hunter unit to face Grimm in open combat in four hundred years, possibly longer."

"Who was piloting the Hunter? They clearly have no idea what they're doing."

Weiss' frank assessment was echoed by Blake and Yang, whoever they were, they clearly didn't have much skill. Ruby, on the other hand, sank into her chair visibly, mumbling about not having really fought in it before. Yang, having sat next to her, turned to gape at her sister, even as Ozpin confirmed the blonde's deduction.

"That would be Ms. Ruby Rose there. Currently the youngest person on board, as well as the youngest Hunter pilot on record, at the age of 15. Captain Goodwitch assures me she is quite capable." The Captain muttered something under her breath, to which Ozpin merely chuckled in response, before he continued, cutting off any further questions. "Not that it matters what you think of her, at the moment. I'm sure you're all wondering why I've taken the time to gather all of you together. The reason is rather simple. The Grimm are returning."

Silence descended on the room like a cloak as everyone took that in. Then Yang spoke up, rising from her seat and grabbing her sister as well, ready to drag them both out of the room. She wasn't about to let her sibling do anything dangerous like fight Grimm, even if she apparently already had. Besides, she hadn't signed up to fight off the nightmares of humanity. She was a bounty hunter of god sake.

"No. Come on, Rubes, we're getting out of here."

"Yang?!"

"I'm afraid that you're in no position to be leaving, Ms. Xiao Long."

"Yeah? And who's going to stop me? You?"

"No. The fact that Ruby has already agreed to help."

"What?!"

Yang rounded on her sister, fury evident on her face, and Ruby shrank away, looking apologetic. She had been the first to fight the Grimm after all, and Glynda had seen it as necessary to inform her of what they wanted Crescent Rose for. Her dad hadn't been much pleased about it either, asking them why they couldn't just take the ship and be done with it, but Ruby had insisted. She was going to help in any way she could. If that meant fighting Grimm, then so be it.

"They needed my help, Yang. Besides, who else was going to do it?"

"ANYONE ELSE!"

"Ms. Xiao Long. This is her decision. If you want to leave, I won't stop you. But she has already signed a contract."

Yang snarled something unintelligible, then sat back down, eyes narrowed as she glared at the Admiral. She wasn't stupid. She knew what they were doing. And she was just going to go along with it, because she would never leave her sister here on her own. As she sat, however, the white-haired girl stood, clearly having made up her mind about something. She made to leave, only for Captain Goodwitch to suddenly appear in her path.

"And where do you think you're going, Ms. Schnee?"

"I am leaving. I doubt my father would agree to send me against the Grimm."

"The only reason you are here is because he's given his permission."

"Hmph. Regardless, I have no intentions of endangering my own life by fighting any of those things. So if you'll excuse me-"

"Then you give up all rights to Myrtenaster."

That stopped the girl just before she reached the door, body tensing suddenly at the threat. They wouldn't... they couldn't... she had EARNED Myrtenaster. It wasn't the governments to take! Her father had-... Her FATHER! They could take it if he said they could. Slowly, Weiss stepped away from the door and returned to her seat, body remaining tense the entire time. She should have expected something like this, her father had to keep control of her always. She could never really be free. Ozpin paused a moment, glancing briefly at Blake as if expecting her to act up as well. She simple shook her head at his gaze and settled herself a little more comfortably into her seat. She HAD expected something like this, although she'd thought she'd be put to work fighting the White Fang or some other terrorist group, not the Grimm.

"It seems we're all prepared to continue forward then. Believe me when I say that underhanded methods are not my favorite way to got about things, but as it stands, you four are currently the only ones capable of fending off the Grimm."

"What makes you so sure they're returning, anyway? Like you said, it's been thousands of years since the Grimm War, and Rubes here could have just fought off another raiding par- Oh..."

Yang was cut off by the screen flickering over to another video, this one sent back by the scout team that had investigated the third fleet's disappearance. What they had found was torn metal, flesh and the blood. An entire fleet, one of the largest at that, gone within mere moments. The video went from ship to ship over the course of the next few minutes, and all four girls watched in horror. Ruby finally shut her eyes and buried her face in her sister's shoulder as a beheaded torso drifted across the lenses sight.

"This is all that remains of the third fleet. Some million souls and the most powerful fleet Vale had, gone. There are no signs of weapons fire. The body count was low, and those that we did find were torn to pieces. Whatever killed them, it wasn't human. We have to be prepared. The Grimm are coming back, I have no doubts about that. Let us just hope that we are ready when they get here."

"Sir... I don't think even four hunters is gonna be able to stop whatever destroyed an entire fleet."

"I agree. And you all are not meant to fight alone. There are a few other Hunter units, and currently I have them being researched. Hopefully we can discover how to produce the units once again, before its too late."

"Then what are we here for?"

"To hold back the raiding parties that are sure to come before whatever is out there. To be Hunter pilots, and let those machines do what it is they do best. And in the end, convince the nations of the galaxy that we CAN still fight back, given the right tools. I'm sure you all heard my speech. The Beacon will be a symbol of hope. And you will be the sparks that ignite that hope.

"I'm asking a lot of you. And truly, I wish I didn't have to. But please, know that I will do all in my power to ensure that you can someday return home, wherever you believe that to be. Until then, I, on behalf of the entire galaxy, ask that you fight for us. All of us."

And then, to the surprise of the girls in the room, Rear Admiral Ozpin bowed to the four young women that were seated in front of him. There was silence again, each working through their own thoughts and feelings, before Ruby detached herself from her sister and stood up, wiping away the thin trail of tears she'd gained at the horrible sight from before. Determination shown in her eyes like fire, something her sister had never seen in her before with such intensity. Then the young girl saluted the older man.

"I'll give everything I can, sir."

Yang watched a moment longer before standing herself, placing her on her hips and sighing.

"Well, guess I'm in this for the long haul as well. Can't let Rubes here have all the glory."

"YANG!"

"Hmph. Well, if I must, I must. I'd rather like to keep Myrtenaster, after all."

Weiss arms were crossed over her chest as she gave her grudging support, looking like the perfect, disinterested heiress she'd been brought up to be. Blake merely nodded her head in agreement to the others words. This was what she'd come here to do. Being a hero wasn't what she was used to, but she'd figure it out soon enough. Ozpin straightened himself, smiling at all of them. These four were going to face trials he doubted anyone or anything could prepare them for. They would be a team, and would learn soon enough that despite having the Beacon, they would only really be able to rely on each other. He glanced over his shoulder at his XO, who merely gave him a look that displayed her distaste for what they were doing, before he decided that the four girls had gone through enough for today.

"Well, I'm thankful, regardless of your reasons for helping me. I'll have Lieutenant Arc show you to your rooms, where you can get some rest. Tomorrow, Captain Goodwitch here will be handling your duties. Feel free to ask either of the two if you have any issues. Until the next time we speak."

Ozpin left the room as the Captain stepped forward to discuss the next days activities. Lieutenant Arc saluted as the superior officer passed by, one that Ozpin was quick to return, before he strode off down the corridor, mind already considering the messages he'd received earlier in the day. While initial probes had discovered no sign of the Grimm, it was that lack of activity that worried the Admiral. The Grimm had always been there before, in small numbers. Now, nothing? The Hunter pilots weren't ready to face Grimm yet, at least not as a team, which meant they needed more conventional targets first. Thankfully, the frontier worlds offered a limitless supply of things to hunt down, pirates chief among them. He'd give them a few days to settle in, as well as put the Beacon through its paces.

And then it would be time to see how well they could work together.

Author's Note- Next Chapter done with. It'll be a bit longer before we see some more action, another chapter I think. Still, the direction this seems to be going is a lot different from where I was going to go with it originally. Not a bad thing, really, just... interesting to me.

Anyway, to answer the question I received on updates, I'm going to try to update at least one of my two stories once a week, possibly more depending on my writing mood, and I'm going to try to alternate between the two. Again, depending on my mood, sometimes I don't want to write one but I'll write stuff for the other one.

Anyway, comments and concerns and questions are much appreciated, as always, and keep dreaming.