Author's Headnote: Sorry, I've been working on another fanfiction. Sorry for slow update. And low-quality update, too.
The Ruby of Cerberus: End of the Year Preparation
Ruby Rose:
Health: Minorly Shaken (Still stressed over the incident, but not enough to inhibit combat)
Aura Status: 100%
Semblance: Petal Burst
Weapons: Crescent Rose (Only need her)
Credits: 2,532
Party Relations
- Weiss Schnee: Element Zero's dust like properties may be enough to compensate for the lack of dust in the Milky Way
- Blake Belladonna: Wonder if that crystal is going to impact her combat abilities...
End of Main Character status report
Party Update:
- Party in: Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna
- Party out: Yang Xiao-Long, Haedvin Jaular vas Cordavire
- Leader Change: Ruby Rose is now the party leader
The Cordavire, December 17, 2174, 15:19, Mess Hall
Ruby had answered the call from Miranda.
"I have a task for you and your team." Miranda stated.
"What is it?" Ruby asked.
"It's a delicate operation, an assassination if you will."
"A... what?"
"Oh, you should know by now that killing is necessary in this part of work. Not that you have a choice, anyway."
"Ya... you're right about that..."
"Anyways, you'll be returning to Batarian space. Your target will be a highly-established privateer among Batarian Pirates."
"What's a privateer?"
"A hybrid of a pirate and a mercenary. Pirates hired to plunder certain locations for profit of the hiring party and the pirates themselves."
"Okay... why do we need to... uh... ehm..."
"Kill him? Simple, the batarians did not like their slaves being liberated, and they hired a pirate to raid on a human colony."
"Okay... so bad guy."
"Yes, he's a bad guy. And your job is to make the bad guy go away, do you understand?"
"Yes..."
"Good. You have until Christmas Eve to finish this task." Miranda said, logging off.
Christmas Eve? She doesn't know what that is... Ruby was sitting at the table, sighing at the event which had brought her over. Being that she's doing a job that requires her to take a life. Even if that person is beyond redemption... she can't see herself as an executioner. She simply... can't make herself kill someone. But no less, she does not know when Christmas Eve is... which means she's going to ask Esi.
"Hey, Blake... can you go ask Esi?" Ruby asked.
Weiss and Blake were also sitting at the table. They really didn't move much after Yang left to relax and sleep.
"Ask Esi for what, exactly?" Blake asked.
"Ask her when's Christmas Eve." Ruby stated.
"How about we go now?"
"Look, we're tasked to take out a well-known pirate. We can't just rush our way through this!"
"I see... preparation time."
"So... the plan is to do it the day before?"
"Right."
"Alright, I'm gonna ask Esi when that is..." Weiss said, getting up.
"Wait, why the time limit?" Blake asked.
"I think Cerberus got some information about the plan and the date." Ruby stated.
"Oh... got it... so we've got to figure out to sneak in and break into the place where the general is... and then take him out and get out ASAP?"
"That's way easier than it sounds."
"Well, we may not have to kill him..."
"Huh?"
"I mean, we could incite a mutiny and have his crew turn on him..."
"But he'll ending up dying anyway."
"That's... true. We could kidnap him."
"And make it look like he died?"
"Ya..."
"Well, where would we put him?"
"Haedvin, does this ship have a brig?" Weiss asked.
"No. And if you plan on taking him alive, you need to lock him up somewhere." Haedvin stated.
"Like where?"
"There are Cryo prisons in the terminus systems. Privately ran. You could sell him to one of them and have him kept on ice. Out of sight, out of mind."
"We can take him there and make some money too."
"Well, I think that'd be better than just killing him." Ruby said.
Blake had returned some time later, she sat back down at the mess hall with a serious tone. Hopefully she had come with some news.
"Christmas Eve is on December 24." Weiss stated.
"Which means that we need to do this on December 23." Ruby announced.
"Six days to prepare? That's plenty of time." Blake said.
"Esi also wants to help." Weiss stated.
"How is she gonna help? She's a kid!" Blake retorted.
"A kid who knows how to hack into the Batarian network."
"Well, that's one talented child."
"And she's gonna be quite useful."
"How did you know that?"
"She asked why I needed to know when Christmas Eve is..."
"She seems so insistent in helping us for some reason..."
"But no less, she's gonna find out who the target is and where he is."
"Oh ya, we don't even have a name for him."
Time has passed... the three of them had went and gathered some information for the rest of the day and then rest up.
The Cordavire, December 18, 2174, 12:00, Mess Hall
Five days left until the operation is a go. Esi has joined in on the operation as an indirect asset. So far, she's gathered who the target in general is. A Batarian Pirate Captain under the name of Durr'Jaul was hired to raid a human planet from his ship, which was a Batarian cruiser he had acquired. Which is... absolutely huge. From what is known, he's going to be staying around his quarters throughout the entire span until their raid commences. It's Ruby's job to get him out of the picture. Likely without him the crew will turn on each other.
And that is why he has to be taken outside of the picture. Esi is going to find out where it will be in December 23... meanwhile... Ruby is going to have to find some new armor. Chances are the stock armor she has from Cerberus isn't going to tough enough to take hits from a whole barrage of bullets of a whole army. Hell, if anything direct confrontation is something they should avoid... so likely no armor at all. Rather, they need to find some clothes to reduce their visibility.
Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Esi were all sitting at one of the mess hall tables. Esi had her computer up and ready. Though, it is quite archaic and crude compared to both the technology she's seen here and in remnant. No less, the computer appears to get the job done, and that's all that matters at this point.
"So... what's the plan here?" Weiss asked.
"For one, we really can't Yang it here. There's gonna be soldiers all over the ship." Blake stated.
"I'm sorry, but what does it mean to 'Yang'?" Esi asked.
"It means to ignore logic, planning, and strategy and just charge in foolhardily." Weiss answered.
"I'm pretty sure Yang wouldn't like her name being turned into a verb in that function." Ruby commented.
"Well, if she didn't want that, she shouldn't have jumped into the gateway."
"Fair. But still, how did you two come up with it?"
"It was while our little drunken escapade." Blake stated, "Given that Yang's reckless actions have got us to this mess and all."
"She doesn't always charge in recklessly." Ruby retorted.
Blake and Weiss laughed hysterically.
"How about we get back on topic, if we don't concentrate, we're going to have no choice but to Yang it! Esi, what are the colors of the ship?" Weiss asked, getting back on topic.
"It's mostly a dark grey..." Esi said.
"What about the inside?"
"Also grey, with some yellow lightings."
"Okay... we're going to need some greyscale camouflage aaand..." Ruby said, before being interrupted.
"Whynot just use your cloaking device?" Esi asked.
"Huh?"
"You have omnitools, don't you? Hold on... let me just..." Esi said. Getting hers out. Ruby's omnitool, among Weiss and Blake's have glowed up. "There. The tech is installed."
"What did you do?" Ruby asked.
"I gave you a camo tech. It should be easy to activate, though it only lasts for a certain amount of time and does have a cooldown."
"So... why did you suggest it?"
"You're infiltrating a large ship to take down a high-ranking officer. You'll need all the help you can get."
"Ya, thanks." Ruby said.
"Were you going to suggest grayscale camouflage outfits?" Blake asked.
"Yes... well, specifically in shades that the interior of the ship is in..."
"I do recall that Haedvin infiltrated this very ship with a cardboard box." Weiss commented.
"Like that's ever gonna work here. Pretty sure they're smart enough to not fall for it" Blake stated.
"If it worked on the mercenaries, it's worth a shot."
"Fair... but if it doesn't work, we're not going to go rescue you."
"Don't worry Weiss, we won't leave you to die." Ruby consoled.
"I figured. Otherwise, it'd be very awkward to explain when we get back." Weiss stated.
"Well... if we get back." Blake retorted.
"What do you mean: 'if'?"
"Cerberus doesn't seem like the kind of company to just let us go..."
"Well, if we have to spend a whole year here, I'm gonna Yang my way to Unity!"
"Uhhh..." Esi uttered, confused.
"Oh... sorry, didn't realize you were there... anyways... do you know anywhere we could get ammunition for me and Blake?" Ruby asked.
"Gunpowder ballistics?" Esi asked. "You still use that stuff? I'm surprised."
"Well... if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Blake commented.
"I think I can arrange some stuff. Though, I may need to look at the weapons to find the caliber, and a fitting silencer..." Esi said, before being interrupted.
"Actually, our guns have built in silencers. If we didn't, we would have been deaf by now."
"Oh..."
"And they don't actually make the weapon quiet, they actually make it not deafening loud. We've used our weapons often, of course we're gonna have this suff built into our guns." Ruby retorted.
"Oh, well that explains it." Esi stated.
"Explains what?" Blake asked.
"Uh, nothing."
"Anyways..."
Widow, The Citadel, Commercial District, December 19, 2174, 12:00, Lefdal's Armors
Blake had shown Ruby and Weiss this place. She could not come because she still has to brush on her english or get her translator installed again. So, Weiss is in her place. That, and Blake tends to trigger alarms here. This place is presented with plenty of custom armor. The armor in display looks expensive in design, no doubt that Ruby won't be able to afford it. However, for some reason she was brought over here, despite saying that armor would be a bad idea for the operation they are commencing. Despite this, they are brought here anyway.
A Drell was overseeing the counters. Likely the one who is running the store.
"How can I help you?" the drell asked.
"Hey, I'm a friend of the girl you made the custom helmet to. The one with the cat ears." Weiss stated.
"Ah... how can I help you, then?."
"So... you made that helmet she's wearing?" Ruby asked.
"It's quite rare for one to have such a genetic alteration to themselves. I'm quite intrigued by her." the drell said.
"Ya ya, we're looking to buy grey camo." Weiss stated.
"Armor?"
"No. Grey camo pants and jacket."
"Ah, military camo. You doing a stealth operation?"
"You can say that, here's the money." Weiss said, transferring credits to the drell.
The drell had stepped out for a bit. A couple minutes had passed by... so far, nothing much happened. The drell had then returned with three suits of camo clothing. Jacket, boots, pants, and shirts, all with the girls' sizes.
"Thanks." Weiss said.
"No problem for a paying customer." the drell said.
"Now we need to get the rest of the supplies, come on Ruby." Weiss said, escorting the leader out of the store.
"Okay... this is interesting..." Ruby commented.
Widow, The Citadel, Commercial District, December 19, 2174, 13:00, Grocery Store
Ruby was browsing the grocery store, with Yang of course. It was a large room with various isles from across the milky way, though given Haedvin, some dextro-foods would be nice to acquire. Given the amount of money they have... they can get enough food to last the week, a month if they just get the bare essentials.
Let's see here, they've been getting by with just bread and eggs. Some fruit's gonna be helpful, don't want to get scurvy. In addition, some other stuff would help to avoid malnutrition. That's for one. Sweets and stuff can wait until after they get back to Remnant. But for now, it's time for the bare essentials, along with food for Haedvin. Keeping food stores full is essential, and preventing starvation is also so.
And from gathering all the various items, ranging from a restock of bread and eggs, to some oranges, some milk and a water pitcher, along with some easy salad. That should last the four of... wait, there's a child asari and a Krogan to account for...
"What do Krogans eat?" Ruby asked.
"From what I know, they're levo-protein, but they tend to get hungrier than Nora." Yang answered.
"So, I guess we'll have to stock up on something more filling."
"And asari?"
"Same as us..."
"Noted."
"As for Haedvin, we can stop by the dextro-protein isles."
"Yep."
The two of them managed to stock up their food on more food than one would have a couple weeks back, given the addition of more people to travel with, which means more food that's needed to buy. That also means more money is to be spent during shopping trips. Well, it makes sense, but it's unfortunate. The worst part is that the income is irregular. Which means the budget's gonna be different each time, that means they really can't get the same portions each time. No less, Yang was able to pay for the food.
It's quite mean of Weiss and Blake to just turn her name into quite a degrading Verb. Yang's quite smart and responsible. Being that she helped raise her and all of that. So, it makes all of that quite irresponsible. That, and it'd be unwise to do so when she's nearby. Yet again, she does understand why those two are mad at her. In fact, Ruby is mad at her for the same reason. However, she's trying to find a way back home. And so far, there hasn't been much accord of any portal gates like the one they walked out of... and who knows where they'd lead to.
So far, it seems that co-operation is the only way to get back home. Even if it is by a longshot, these guys have them at their beck and call... and furthermore, if they attempt to go rogue, where would they go? Literally, this is a strange, dark, cruel, twisted world. And Ruby is caught in the middle of all of it. Meaning that leaving is not an option for them.
Ruby sighs.
"What's wrong?" Yang asked.
"Oh, nothing... just currently thinking about the position we're put in." Ruby stated.
"Okay then... just cheer up, I hate to see you frown."
"thanks..."
"Anything for my little sis."
The Cordavire, December 20, 2174, 12:00, Garage
Ruby, Weiss, and Blake began training and working out to prepare them for the events to come, they need to get in fit shape for the upcoming stealth training they're gonna put themselves through tomorrow and the day following. The mission will require them to be at their peak. They're expecting a whole army of pirates. The last time Ruby and Weiss tried breaking in a ship, they were simply pinned down until Haedvin and Blake showed up. This time, they likely won't have that benefit, so they need to be prepared.
Given without a vehicle, they retrofitted the garage into a gym, using some various equipment and large space to keep up in shape. The three of them were going through a cycle of muscle building and cardio, and then finally some martial arts training. Of course, no instructor means they all basically had to figure it out on their own.
Blake seemed to get a hang of the exercise routine easily, whist Ruby and Weiss struggled. In Ruby's case, it's because she's not quite used to a diverse exercise regiment. But it's required for the operation ahead. The training, body-building and enhanced exercise would help with the mission to come.
Though, when it came to combat training, Blake seemed to be excelling more than usual. Out of curiosity... Ruby had gotten out her omnitool to check Blake's aura, something that she had transferred from her scroll. It was at 100%, wherst Ruby and Weiss were around 90%. Being that they recently started semblance training, it'd make sense.
"Blake, can you use your semblance?" Ruby asked.
"Okay..." Blake said, activating her semblance. A shadow clone appeared, it is lying still and not doing anything.
Usage of semblance is an aura technique, which means it consumes aura... and yet... Blake's aura had dropped briefly, only for it to regenerate back to 100%
"Blake, by any chance do you still have that crystal on you?" Ruby asked.
"Ya, why?" Blake followed-up.
"I think I discovered what that crystal does... it... enhances your abilities. Not sure how to say it, but that crystal is regenerating your aura."
"You've got to be kidding me." Weiss retorted. "That strange crystal is some performance enhancing rock?"
"It seems like it." Ruby stated.
"Well, then we'll just have to find some more. Question is... where did it come from?"
"Then we'll have to find out after we deal with that Batarian pirate."
"I think we really can Yang our way through it with Blake."
"Please stop using my sister's name as a verb."
"She did bring it on herself." Blake added.
"And we're sticking to the stealth operation as planned." Ruby retorted. "We will need to come in, knock him out, and get him in custody. In addition, I will be telling my sister about your rude attitude toward her. What the hell is with you guys? Why is it all of the sudden you decided to hate her?"
"We just told you. It's because if it weren't for her, we'd still be at home." Weiss stated.
"Just drop this and focus." Ruby stated.
For some reason, the team relations have been getting more strained. Whatever it may be, it'll pass when the four of them return to Remnant. But for now, she has got to concentrate on training for the operation on the twenty-third. No time to have trauma weaken her constitution or being distracted by the marvels of the other dimension. She hs a job to do, and she will finish it.
The training had gone and consumed the time, given that's what supposed to happen, it's a non-issue. No less, there is an intense operation at hand... and one that would definitely be a test of skill.
Author's Footnote: Ya... sorry about the low quality as said... But I can assure you, we're about to end the first act, so that's a plus. Which means more intense stuff. and as for the crystal, more stuff is gonna be explained on the way here. And like I said, the crystal is a stranger to this world. So... ya... I'm gonna wrap up act 1 of this fiction.