Thought For The Day
HOPE IS THE FIRST STEP ON THE ROAD TO DISSAPOINTMENT
==I==
Team RWBY's dormitory, Beacon Academy. - 31.41 OCM
"..on't agree with their methods, but the White Fang has a point! Leaving Menagerie out of the planetary council is just insane!" - Blake stated as calmly as she could.
It happened now, just as it did almost ten thousand years ago, back during the Great Crusade. The belearegued population from X world had suffered for so long they believed it to be the normal order of things. Isolated from the greater galactic community, almost every world had regressed to an state of primitivism and ignorance, and not all had managed to claw their way back into modernity.
Some went back to the stone age and stayed there, barely managing to survive in a hunter-gatherer society. Others went feudal, and only those in planets with the right mix of challenge and opportunity managed to claw and bite their way back into some sort of modernity.
The people of Remnant had suffered, yes, but they were proud of being among the rare few who had managed to ache a somewhat modern civilization. They had been trapped in a bubble of unreality, and it had stopped them from ever reaching space because quite simply there was no space to reach for. That knowledge soothed and enboldened their resolve.
'The grimm are awful, but they did force us to adapt, develop and overcome. We are not primitives, we did our best.'
Paradise worlds are great places to live, but absolutely terrible for the development of civilization. Why would you go with farming when every plant is edible? Why bother with homes when the weather is perfect year-round? Why turn to science and medicine when you are disease-free? Adversity, challenge, hardship, these are the truest source of devlopment and civilization. The grimm were a problem still, but would not be so forever anymore.
The monsters that had shaped Remnian culture into its current shape seemed quite conquerable nowadays. The Empire had its own problems, but the Deathwatch was right there, and as it turns out, the only reason they hadn't intervened yet was because they simply hadn't been asked to.
The culture of Remnant was strong, their people was strong. Of this, they could be proud of. They truly had made the best out of a bad situation, and now that they were back in realspace, they had wasted little time sending satellites into space. Weather prediction, telecommunications, grimm tracking had all become a part of Remnant's culture seemingly overnight, and the changes just kept coming.
Now, it was easy to keep track of grimm swarms, dispatching huntsmen teams as needed to cull their numbers before they could ever become a threat to population centers. And if a town or village did need urgent assistance, they could always call for help. Gone were the days of isolated communities in the middle of the wilderness, because the entirety of Remnant had finally joined the information age.
True, the Deathwatch had made themselves clear. Their job was to safeguard dozens of solar systems with trillions of inhabitants. The galaxy was a violent and challenging place, but Remnians were used to living in a violent and challenging place. All that changed was the scale of said threats. Even so, Remnant is Hedgehog fortress' very own backyard, and if the Deathwatch happened to be temporarily authorized by a community's leaders to perform live fire exercises in areas that just so happened to be close to inhabited settlements that just so happened to find a sudden grimm swarm at its doorstep... we~ell, the Deathwatch would be more than happy for the chance for some extra training.
Having said so, however, Remnians were encouraged to be as self reliant as possible, and to raise their own PDF(1) as soon as possible. But before anything else, they needed to organize a planetary government so they could be officially accepted as part of the empire. Honestly, as soon as it was revealed that there would be much, much paperwork and taxes involved, most of the hype just... died down.
Remnians were proud of being a modern people, but that meant they were no strangers to the concept of red tape, taxes, or bureacracy. 'Oh, we are joining a galactic community! What's this... thirty seven hundred volumes of Imperial Law our lawyers, merchants and leaders are gonna have to navigate? Well, the more things change, the more they're the same."
"Oh please, Menagerie's population is miniscule. What are they up to? A hundred and eighty thousand. two hundred thousands inhabitatns, top? How can you ask for a fifth of the vote when you are representing less than a hundredth of the population?" - countered Weiss.- "Vacuo was -this- close to not having a seat in the council either! Besides, the planetary council is meant to represent us when interacting with the larger empire, its not like they're taking charge of each individual kingdom's government. Everyone is keeping their Councils, aren't they?"
"She does have a point, Blakey." - Yang pips up from her bunk.
"But the faunus' suffering-"
"Is all about history and feelings. We're joining the galactic community, for brot- for Emperor's sake!"
"Hm. I don't know if I'll ever get used to the idea that the brothers aren't actual gods..." - Ruby whined softly.
"Eh, I am sure that nobody will remember them in as little as two or three generations from right now as nothing but ancient superstition at best, and weird, opressive xenos at worst."(2) - Blake replied to Ruby, then went back to her conversation with Weiss.- "Even so, we have our own kingdom!"
"And you are free to send a representative to the planetary council whenever you need to, you're just not sitting at the table for policy-making when it comes to extraplanetary trade regulations and the like. You barely have any trade with the rest of Remnant as it stands!"
"But the faunus deserve representation."
"Considering that the faunus living in the greater kingdoms get to vote for their kingdom's representative at the planetary council, I'd say they get exactly as much representation as anybody else. If it really bothers you that much, how about you try passing policies encouraging families in Menagerie to have as many children as possible, then come back when your population breaks the million?"
"Yeah Blakey, you should-a get bus-y!" - Yang called out with an smile
"I... that terminology, talking about 'Greater Kingdoms' implies that Menagerie is 'Lesser'. That right there, is a problem."
"You are intelligent enough to know I am talking about population volume. Don't be disingenuous." - Weiss gave a sigh and rolled her eyes.
"I am, but there's plenty of people that will react emotionally rather than logically. Not including Menagerie in the council is going to cause racial tensions to rise. It is a problem we are creating right now, one we could have done without."
"And then we would have gone with the one percent versus everyone else argument, and we would see a rise in Human-faunus racial tensions anyway, and with the vast majority resenting the minority. That's just asking for an ethnic cleansing. I'll pass, thank you very much."
"Honestly Blakey, it's not the end of the world. Menagerie will eventually fulfill the population minimum, and then it'll have to elect and send a representative to the planetary council, same as everyone else. Now, if said minimum gets moved upwards when you're about to fulfill it, then you can scream about racism all you'd like. Heck, I'd buy you the megaphone and carry it for you if you want." - Yang turned to look at her partner, and smiled.
"Hm~" - that did give Blake an idea. One she'd call home to talk to her father as soon as she could. Because of timezones, it was about 4am back in Menagerie, so she'd go about it the next day.
==/ /==
Ozpin's Office, Beacon Academy. - 31.42 OCM
"Is the council still upset about the spaceport?" - Ozpin asked, then sipped from his coffee mug.
"Of course they are. Nevermind that brother Indis explained that such things had to be built as close to the equator as possible, they just see it as a political maneuver, reality be damned. I swear Ozpin, you couldn't make them see reason if it sat on them."
"Reason?"
"I like to think of logic and reason as a shining white goliath that they all agree to ignore somehow." - the general let his lips curl up slightly, though there was little mirth in his eyes.- "Jacques was apoplectic when the plasma generators went online. It was very enjoyable."
"Did you happened to record it? Can I have a copy?"
"Why yes, I'm sending it to you now."
"Much appreciated." - Ozpin smiled as he lowered his cup.- "I take it this will lower the price of Dust significantly?"
"Of course. The Dust kept apart for power generation was the lion's share of the SDC's profit, and now that it's flooding the market, prices have already begun to plummet. Honestly, it will likely continue to go down over the next few years before spiking back up once the spaceport is operating and we can begin exporting to the rest of the subsector or beyond."
"I figured the brothers would have experimented with creating life somewhere else, so I wasn't surprised to learn about aliens, but the Grimm as a prevalent threat across the galaxy? I shiver to think of what it must be like to try and fight them without Dust rounds."
"Well, the term used by the broader imperium is daemon, though I've been told our version is both simpler and much more resiliant. Normally, daemons can't exist for long in realspace and need to possess a host to do so. Our Grimm don't suffer from that, but they're much, much less dangerous, apparently."
"Right, no magic of their own, and no intelligence beyond that of a particularly crafty animal. I do not look forward to talking to one, the very idea sends a chill down my spine." - as if to combat said chill, Ozpin took another sip of his coffee.- "Have you heard anything new from our moon-bound friends?"
"They're not really moon-bound, Ozpin. They can and do leave often, they just hadn't officially contacted us until we did it first."
"Right, I imagine they probably sent some expeditions to catch Grimm for study... by the way, could you ask for their results in that? It would be fascinating to see what their findings are. Different perspective and all that."
"Certainly. Speaking of fascinating, it turns out pretty much every member of the Deathwatch comes from a different cultural background. A couple have even requested permission to visit our cities as regular citizens."
"Do you think I coul-?"
"No Ozpin, you couldn't get them to work for you. Anyway, brothers Neresh and Sak have asked for permission and I was wondering if you'd like to host one for a couple of weeks. The way it was expla-"
"Yes." - Ozpin interrupted his friend.- "You had me at 'host', James."
"...alright. As I was saying, it was explained to me that the Deathwatch is an elite organization made from marines from many different 'chapters', each of which has their own culture and way of doing things. The Salamanders seem to be closer to our vision of a professional soldier rather than the monastic, cloistered space knight lifestyle most of the other chapters appear to follow, and would enjoy doing the tourist thing, apparently."
"I didn't hear anything to make me change my mind. I'd be happy to host one or both of them. I could secure rooms for them in the city, or they could take an empty bedroom here at Beacon."
"I'll ask brother Neresh which would be to his preference, and call you back."
"I appreciate that. What about our other guest?"
"Apparently, they come from a very, very hot 'deathworld' covered by active volcanoes, so brother chaplain Sak is really interested in visiting Atlas and Solitas in general."
"Ah, the true tourist experience. Travel away to see what the weather is like as far away from home as you can get." - Ozpin paused for a bit before continuins.- "I'd love to think that's the entirety of this call's purpose, but doubt it."
"Yes, I wanted to know if your kingdom's council had finally agreed on an spot for the spaceport."
"Several areas have been discarded. Right now it is down to the harbor, though there's an strong opinion in favor of trying to recover mt. Glenn since much of the infraestructure is still there. We'll wait for brother Indis' opinion on the matter."
"You've spoken to him already? I wasn't aware of that."
"Never face to face. He appears to be much too busy to visit us for something that could be settled over comms."
"...let me tell you about transhuman dread."(3)
==/ /==
Vale's Southern Gate, 31.90 OCM
Brother Neresh had been walking for a few hours now. He was genuinely thankful to Watch Commander Ramiel for authorizing this excursion. To think an entirely unknown human culture was right there, but a drop pod away, in need of help! But no, Neresh knew better than to run off on his own. The watch commander understood, however. He had been around for long enough, and mingled with battle brothers from more than enough chapters to know they all had different views in life, different perspectives after being taught by different masters and more importantly, thanks to the traits inherited from their lord primarchs.
In the Salamanders, this manifested as a deeply routed feeling of kinship for humanity at large. A need to mingle, laugh, work and talk with them. A need for the bonds of community they could only find by mingling with the common man.
True, some would first describe the sons of Vulkan by referencing their physical traits, for they are indeed prone to making an impression. They are, after all, the tallest of the space marines, enormous even, with dark, midnight-coal skin and blazing red eyes (capable of infrared vision), having evolved through the ages to survive in the radiation-heavy, perpetual ash-and-smoke-filled air of their homeworld of Nocturne, but first and foremost, they are humane in ways their brothers from other legions couldn't understand.
Brother Neresh had been taken to the planet's surface by gunship, and deposited within walking distance of the city. He was wearing white and green robes in the style of his clan in Nocturne, a comfortable inner layer covered by an slightly heavier tabard, the cloth stretched gently over his herculean figure all the way down to his calves. He was 7'4" and as wide at the shoulders as Ozpin was tall, carrying no visible weapons and oviously out of his armor, though he did had the marine-sized equivalent of an overnight bag out of some metallic-looking black fabric.
He approached the city gates and paused as he noticed an small welcoming comittee.- "Oh? It is a pleasure to meet you. I am brother Neresh of the Salamanders, currently seconded to the Deathwatch." - his voice was a pleasant baritone, though its thinly controlled intensity made the mortals before him feel as if there was a mild tremblor going on.
"Ah... welcome to Vale, sir." - Glynda needed a moment to reboot. The man had moved almost as if in slow motion towars them, yet the sheer lenght of his stride had quickly carried him over, and his smile, though genuine and warm-looking, had a tingue of something worrying coming from such an enormous face.- "I am Glynda Goodwitch, vice principal at Beacon Academy, and these are Principal Ozpin, and Doctor Oobleck."
"You are not an Astartes, and I am barely a sergeant, thus you do not need to use 'sir' with me, miss Goodwitch." - the man rumbled gently, nodding deeply to try and convey his sincerety with minimal movements, fully aware of the intimidating effect his countenance could have on normal humans.- "My name is Neresh Ul'sho, and I will be delighted to visit your fair city, meet your wonderful people, and test your local delicacies." - he smiled, and instantly regretted it when he noticed everyone stiffening at the sight.
"Yes... well, I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about the Imperium at large..." - said doctor Oobleck.
"I do not mind, but I feel I would be a biased and unreliable souce of information on anything outside of my homeworld of Nocturne." - the giant said while rubbing gently at his chin.
"And why would that be?" - Ozpin unfroze, seeming to relax at the very human gesture of the man before him.
"Space marines are as close as the Imperium has to a panic button. If we are deployed on a battlefield, it is rare for us to find anything more than ruins by the time we arrive. The Deathwatch is an organization composed exclusively by veteran Astartes, so this holds true to an even greater degree for almost all of us."
"O-oh." - Professor Oobleck deflated slightly.- "It would still be a unique experience to hear about your homeworld, if possible."
"That, I can do." - brother Neresh smiled, this time being careful not to show any teeth.- "Now, I only have imperial documents, and they are fairly simple since my status as an Astartes is typically enough to allow me entry anywhere. I hope that will suffice?"
"Ah yes, the true universal language. Bureaucracy." - Glynda smiled and turned halfway to the side, gesturing for the massive slab of man to walk ahead.- "I will assist you with acquiring local documentation."
"Many thanks, miss Goodwitch." - the giant nod-bowed again, and began to move in the direction he had been shown. Again, slowly and carefully.
"Your mastery of our language is very good." - professor Oobleck pointed out. Was it difficult to learn? How different is it from ...Low Gothic, is it?"
"Yes, Low Gothic is considered the common tongue of the Imperium, but if you have regional dialects and terminology, you'll have an easy time imagining how wildly it varies from one planet to the next or from one sector to another. Some of the larger ships have their own version of it, which is why the true common tongue of the Imperium would be High Gothic, though it is mostly used by high ranking officers, powerful Rogue Traders, scholars, and other people who know they will have to deal with people from other worlds." - brother Neresh explained as calmly as he could.
"High Gothic? Well, as an scholar myself, I suppose I will have to do my best to learn it then, won't I? Is there any way to secure a syllabus for it?"
"I am afraid that is unlikely. We Astartes have perfect memories, and psycho indoctrination is part of our training regime, basically downloading most information directly unto our brains in multiple stages during our training period. Once we have learned something, it is extremely unlikely that we'll need to learn it again." - brother Neresh explains gently.- "As to how I learned your language... I am a fan of your cooking shows."
That caused all three Remnans to pause and do a double take before smiling and resuming motion next to the surprisingly friendly transhuman death machine.
==/ /==
"This is most enjoyable." - Neresh Ul'sho was having a good day. Sure, civilians looked at him with the obvious curiosity any grownup would have towards a man large enough to make them feel like a child again, but there was a distinct lack of hostility or real fear, though in all fairness, he had been taking great pains to move in as relaxed and slow a manner as he could handle.- "I understand your businessmen are preparing to support your ammunition exports as your planet's flagship product, but do not understimate the market for produce. The Imperium is old, and many planets are overspecialized to the point they've become completely dependant on food imports for survival. If you didn't have Dust, I'd suggest considering becoming an agriworld."
"From the way you've combined those words, I'd guess it is safe to assume you are talking about a world specialized in food exports?" - asked Ozpin, who couldn't resist joining Dr Oobleck and the brother sergeant in their foodie binge, while Glynda had gone back to Beacon and her regular duties.
Not without shooting Ozpin a 'look' for not doing the same, mind you.
"You are correct. While right now your planet checks all the boxes to qualify as an standard imperial planet, or is about to as soon as you are done organizing your planetary council, there are plenty of worlds that, over time, have specialized themselves in a narrow-enough type of industry to qualify as resource, industrial or shrine worlds. I am criminally oversimplifying, of course. One cannot hope to fit a million worlds within just three classes."
Brother Neresh was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, so he didn't loom (as much) over his dining partners. Out of all things, Ozpin had not expected the super soldier to want to try the local confectionery. It wasn't so much that the man had a sweet tooth as he was simply interested in the types of grain available in the local markets for things going from beer to bread. In fact, brother Neresh had two large bags by his side on the floor, one with all sorts of baked goods, and one with plenty of beer brands.
"Will you be alright drinking that much? I am not blind to your physical bulk, but that you have already had enough cans to make jokes about your alcohol having high blood levels instead of the other way around."
"Oh, it is quite alright, I assure you." - brother Neresh chewed another loaf of bread, and washed it down with an entire can before replying.- "We Astartes are completely immune to poison, and that most certainly includes alcohol. At worst, I will probably need to use a public restroom just as if I had too much water. We were designed to be hardy and capable of sustaining ourselves on practically anything. I could eat a handful of concrete or glass to demonstrate, if you want me to. So long as it is not directly radioactive or a powerful acid of some kind, it is perfectly safe. In fact, I can gain a great amount of insight from consuming your local wildlife, including a limited understanding of the animal's memories, such as the location of its nest, nearby water sources, dangerous predators and the like."
"That is amazing!" - Dr Oobleck declared.- "...if true."
"I could demonstrate with one of those squirrels playing on the grass behind us, but I am rather sure the sight of a 7'4" midnight-coal giant catching a little furball and throwing it into its mouth whole would upset the children."
Indeed, on request of brother Neresh, they had relocated to a nearby park and had been sitting around a chess board table for the last ten minutes or so, which had gathered a number of children staring at the enormous man as he ate a bread loaf after another with seemingly no issues whatsoever.
"Indeed." -Ozpin conceded.- "Wait, you know those are squirrels because you learn our language, or are they actually common through the rest of the Imperium?"
"The latter. Ancient humanity sent self-replicating machines to terraform viable planets ahead of their expansion, seeding them with life based on Terra's archetypes. Is why most inhabitable planets have an atmosphere and biosphere compatible with human life, as well as similar flora and fauna."
"I suppose it would make no sense for the galaxy to just so happen to be randomly accommodating to humanity out of sheer luck." - Dr Oobleck agreed, and took another sip of coffee.
"Actually, I am more worried over you doctor. You have been drinking enough recaff to turn your kidneys black, though still not enough to give yourself a deadly dose of caffeine by regular human standards." - the marine raised an eyebrow as he looked at the man.
"Aura does a great amount of work towards sustaining a person's health, even repairing physical damage at an observable rate." - Ozpin pips in from the side.
"That is quite convenient, though I regret the circumstances that led to your people evolving such a trait." - brother Neresh said clearly but calmly.- "To be quite sincere with you, I think we all were fortunate your world showed up when it did, otherwise the inquisi-" - the marine was about to say something else when a pair of colorful young women showed up at their 'table'.
==/ /==
"Headmaster, doctor, hi! What are you doing here!?" - Ruby seemed to just pop into existence next to them, with Weiss running towards them as she tried to catch up to her partner.- "Who's your friend?"
"Ah miss Rose. Good evening. I take it you are done with classes for today?" - Ozpin looked at the young girl and smiled kindly.
"Yup! Well, we were supposed to have classes with professor Oobleck, but since that didn't happen..."
"Doctor!"
"I see." - Ozpin nodded in understanding.- "So what are you up to?"
"H-headmaster, professor, I'm sorry, I-!" - Weiss cried out as she finally caught up to Ruby, stopping by her side.- "Ah, good evening..." - she politely curtsied to brother Neresh.- "...tall~"
"Doctor!"
"..." - brother Neresh nodded at the white-themed young woman, honestly quite surprised about Ruby managing to basically sneak up to him.
"W-well, we were just out and about, looking for some supplies when Weissy spotted the bakery and suggested we brought some fresh bread back home with us. I mean, back to the team's room, I guess, but it was all sold out and-!"
"I had heard that Brussels was an excellent bakery, and thought it'd be a good opportunity to introduce Ruby to something beyond cookies for our tea time, but they were all sold... out...?" - Weiss' eyes locked unto the massive bags full of pastry and bread next to the towering man.
"Ah. Apologies, that is definitively our fault." - brother Neresh apologized with as much tenderness as if he was talking to one of the many children watching the group. He stood up a littie too quickly, his good intentions betraying him as he caused all the children to fall unto their backside despite the distance, and freezing Oobleck, Ozpin, Ruby and Weiss on the spot as something that looked human but was much too big to be truly human moved with a speed that did not belong on something of that size. Fortunately, the giant realized his mistake, and resumed moving in a much more measured and calculated manner.- "Many apologies, young ones. I did not intend to scare you, or rob you of fresh bakery products. Please, accept this as an apology."
He reached into his robes and produced a handkerchief that looked just the right size in his hands, but was probably large enough to cover a nightstand even in its currently folded state, then delicatedly, slowly, reached into the first bag and pulled out a large load of bread, wrapped it with the handkerchief, and handed it to the petite red and black-themed girl.
"I-i uh... y-you speak-a my language... I..."
"O-of course he does, you dolt, he just spoke to you!" - Weiss seemed to recover first, though she was somewhat visible shaken still.
"I... right, sorry. Thank you!" - Ruby reached out and realized that the loaf that seemed just snack-sized in the man's hand was actually large enough it wouldn't fit in his school backpack, so she hugged it with both arms and bowed.
"Brother Neresh Ul'sho." - the Astartes introduced himself.
"Ruby."
"She is Ruby Rose, and I am Weiss Schnee, at your... service? Ah... my apologies, but... I don't think I... are you from Vacuo?"
"I come from the land down under." - brother Neresh smiled, letting the young woman interpret that as she wished. Careful to not show any teeth. The perfectly human gesture, while completely harmless when performed by normal-sized humans, would just serve to terrify them when it came from a being two or three times their size, instinct screaming at them that a predator was about to attack.
"...alright? Ah, no, wait, please excuse our interruption." - Weiss turned towards her leader.- "Ruby, say goodbye, the rest of the team should be waiting for us."
"Goodbye, the rest of the team should be waiting for us." - replied Ruby, drawing an smile from the headmaster and the doctor.
"Have a safe trip back." - Ozpin nodded at them.
"If you are planning on preparing sandwiches for your group, may I recommend you stop for proper sundries before returning to the academy?" - Oobleck commented.- "A vegemite sandwich would be a fresh experience."
"We will, thank you!" - Ruby was finally back online proper. She bowed her head to the giant before her, still awed at how she basically was barely as tall as halfway up his thigh.
"Go ahead and have a good day, young ones." - brother Neresh replied while moving down to sit back on the ground. Perhaps we will meet again, as I am planning on visiting your schol- ah, I meant, academy."
"Alright! Then next time, please let us treat you as payment for the bread!"
"...I would be many thankful if you do." - the affable giant replied, and that was the cue for the girl's departure.
A few minutes later, Ruby and Weiss reached the bullhead station and met with Blake and Yang so they could board the bullhead to Beacon together. The taller girls saw them approach, and stood up to greet them.
"Ah you're right on time Rubes, what are you carrying there? That's not a bakery bag."
"We meet a man on Brussels." - says Ruby.- "He was seven foot and full of muscle."
Weiss nods supportively.
"He gave me this, and Doctor Oobleck suggested us vegemite sandwiches."
"...there's a lot to unpack there, and I'm not talking about the bread."
==/ /==
"What was that about a land down under?" - Ozpin asked with amusement once his students were gone.
"Technically true." -replied brother Neresh.- "The people of Nocturne live in enormous underground caverns." - he tore another loaf of bread in half, and took a bite of it, enjoying the softness and washing it down with another gulp of beer.
"You cannot possible expect us to accept such an statement without asking for an explanation! We are obviously interested, so please elaborate!" - Doctor Oobleck almost demanded.
The space marine swallowed, and nodded.- "Like Remnant, Nocturne is classified as a deathworld, though it ranks higher within the scale. You only have the Grimm to worry about," - he starts chewing on the other half of the bread, and completely squeezes the empty can in his hand between his fingers, then folds it one-handed until it was the size of a button before stretching his arm and dropping it into the nearby trash can.- "Nocturne is, as I said, covered in active volcanoes, ash permeates the air, lava flows in rivers, and enormous beasts sometimes descend from the mountains and volcanoes to stalk the land. Moreover," - he opens another can by the expeditious method of poking the lid with a finger.- "Once every few years, the moon comes down so close to the surface, that all volcanoes erupt at the same time, bathing much of the world in magma, vast swathes of land are upheaved and even flipped over, the mountain ranges are rearranged, and it becomes nearly impossible to breath the superheated air. Actually to go back to your much earlier comment, it would be more fair to say that there's air in the floating ash, rather than the other way around."
The Remnans were looking at him with varying degrees of confusion.
"Why do people live there?" - Ozpin was the first to recover.
"How do people live there?" - This time it was Oobleck.
"Like I said, enormous caverns have beene xcavated in what few stable plates the planet has, and that's where my people live. As for the why... the planet's mineral wealth is unparalleled, as new ore veins are constantly being created and pushed unto the surface, where they are easily collected with the right machinery. Our best guess is that in the times when mankind was ascendant, it was the site of a massive mining operation, and the miners probably lived in space stations most of the time. Or perhaps they're the ones who dug the caverns. Only the Emperor would know."
He had finished all the bread and pastries, feeling as if he'd enjoyed a good, light snack. After finishing the last two beer cans and disposing of them in quick succession, brother Neresh stood up again, much slower this time, and took a look around.
"Should we keep going? Ah would like to visit any museums your fair city happened to have." - he declared with a gentle smile.
"Yes, quite. Let's go this way then." - Doctor Oobleck guided the samll group away.
==/ /==
"He made me think again about what a tall man actually looks like..." - mumbled Weiss as she sat next to Blake inside the bullhead.
"We've seen Yatsuhashi, this brother Neresh sounds like he's just a little taller." - Blake looked at the snowflake-themed heiress with a raised eyebrow.
"Yatsuhashi is just tall, this man was larger. He wasn't just tall, he was also had width and depth. I think he was almost as wide across as the shoulders as Ruby is tall, and looked as if both Ruby and I would fit inside him between his chest and back, comfortably."
Yang turned around to look at Weiss.- "Aren't you exaggerating a little? Was he a man or an urza?"
"That's actually a pretty good description. He was urza-like."
"Why do you think the headmaster was with him?" - Ruby imitated her sister.
"Perhaps they're old acquaintances? Or he'll be a guest lecturer or something." - suggested Blake.- "Either way, we'll find out or it isn't our business."
"I suppose." - Weiss agreed, and they made small talk the rest of the flight.
The vegemite sandwiches were delicious with the tea, if a little salty.
Author Notes: I hope you aren't reading this expecting violence porn, because that's just not my style. I was talking with a more experienced fanfic writer about the list of memes and clichés in every RWBY crossover, and we just need Ozpin to try and hire brother Neresh as a member of Beacon's staff, and for Cardin to get beated up for being a bully, then the space marine can tutor Jaune for a bit. Honestly, I do have a long-term plan for this story, but that's exactly what it is. A long-term plan.
Anyway, for those RWBY fans not familiar with WH40K the salamanders are probably the nicest of the space marines. They really care about civilians and believe that there's no such thing as 'acceptable casualties' when it comes to human lives. More asshole-like marines should show up later, but for now lets have the Remnans enjoy the chillest of the marines.
Also, I have a bunch of other fics, give them a read if you feel like. And jsyk, the Conan x Fate one is a similarly slow-burn story. It took about 26-27 chapters for everyone to get together in that one.
1 - Planetary Defense Force. Basically a planet's standing army in case of alien invasion. They are not really expected to succeed and outright push the enemy off-world, but they are expected to stall for long enough the proper imperial army can arrive.
2 - And doesn't this thought just makes Salem's day every single morning nowadays?
3 - "Transhuman dread.- Aximand had heard iterators talk of the condition. He'd heard descriptions of it from regular Army officers too. The sight of an Adeptus Astartes was one thing: taller and broader than a man could ever be, armoured like demigods. The singularity of purpose was self-evident. An Adeptus Astartes was designed to fight and kill anything that didn't annihilate it first. If you saw an Adeptus Astartes, you knew you were in trouble. The appearance alone cowed you with fear.
""But to see one move. Apparently that was the real thing. Nothing human-shaped should be so fast, so lithe, so powerful, especially not anything in excess of two meters tall and wearing more armour than four normal men could even lift. The sight of an Adeptus Astartes was one thing, but the moving fact of one was quite another. The psychologists called it transhuman dread. It froze a man, stuck him to the ground, caused his mind to lock up, made him lose control of his bladder and bowel. Something huge and warlike gave pause: something huge and warlike and moving with the speed of a striking snake, that was when you knew that gods moved among us men, and that there exists an scale of strength and speed beyond anything mortal, and that you were about to die and, if you were really lucky, there might be just enough time to piss yourself first."
Dramatis Personae:
Watch Commander Ramiel Askalon - Dark Angel. Barely any chill.
Brother Indis, techmarine - Ravenguard with a sense of humor. Enjoys DIY shows.
Neresh Ul'sho - Salamander Assault Marine (Respected Flamewalker of the Besieged Cohort). Likes to try the local food of the worlds he's in, enjoys meeting new people.
Sak Esehr - Salamander Chaplain (Reverent Pacifier of the Protean Cult). Likes visiting other planets volcanoes and mountains. Really wants to find a way to preserve a Grimm's mask and see if he can make it into a pauldron, perhaps.