Ibuki: Disclaimer! The author does not own any of the material appearing in the story. The OC's belong to their respective owners!
BGM: Hades' Infernal Theme (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
"Time! Space! Reality! It's more than just a boring ol' linear path! It's a prism of boundless entertainment! A single choice can branch out into infinite realities and infinite amusement from yours truly! Alternate universes created from the ones that we know and love! I am Lord Hades, your handsome guide to these wonderful and boundless fun of opportunities! Follow me, if you dare… and bask in the neverending torturous question of:"
SUPER RWBY: WHAT IF?
"What If!"
End BGM
"Well, I have to say, that one was pretty spectacular! Who knew Ruby would make an excellent reaper? She's quite scarily efficient! …Well, scary for everyone else though. Me? I was thoroughly entertained!"
Hades looked through the universes. "I wonder what it'd be like to actually be a reaper… I'm actually kind of jealous! Eh… what can you do? I'm the God of the Underworld, after all!" He chuckled.
He spotted a universe. "Oooooh, now this… this looks pretty good."
BGM: Winter Contingency (Halo Reach)
Hades smirked. "I'm sure all of you are… familiar with a certain planet called Reach? The Fall of Reach was a horrific time for humanity… plenty of souls to go around, if I say so myself! But in any case, let's say that a ragtag group of huntresses aren't actually huntresses at all, but instead… they, along with two others, were none other than Spartans desperately trying to save Reach from the Covenant. I wonder how that would play out?"
What If… RWBY Fought in Reach?
"And if some of you haven't checked out the Halo series, now would be a good time! And I don't mean that awful TV show…"
A Warthog drove through the outskirts of Reach. A young woman stared at her Spartan helmet as the Warthog drove toward a base. She continued to stare at it until the Warthog parked at the base near a few Falcons.
She hopped out and walked toward the building, the helmet underneath her arm as she did so. She saw a black haired individual cleaning her helmet with a sniper rifle near her.
"Contact with Visegrad Relay was lost last night. All signals flatlined at twenty-six hundred hours. I responded with Trooper fire teams which have since been declared MIA."
"And now you're sending us."
"The Office of Naval Intelligence believes deployment of a Spartan team is a gross misallocation of valuable resources… I disagree."
Pause BGM
The young woman spotted a Spartan sharpening his knife on his own armor. He had a skull carved into his helmet. She raised an eyebrow… and then a mechanical arm stopped her from advancing as she turned to see a scarlet haired woman, then she turned to other Spartans.
"Commander." She got her attention as a big burly Spartan with goldilock hair turned her head along with a white haired Spartan.
"Heh… so that's our new Noble Six." The blonde chuckled. "Hey Ruby."
"Hey Yang."
The white haired Spartan turned to the blonde in surprise. "Yang, you mean to tell me that this is the sister you were referring to?"
"Yup."
"Pyrrha, you read her file?" The skull faced Spartan asked.
"Only the parts that weren't covered in black ink, Cardin."
The white haired Spartan turned back to the computer. "Anyone claimed responsibility, sir?"
"ONI thinks it might be the local Insurrection. Five months ago, they pulled a similar job on Harmony- hit a relay to take out the eyes and ears then stole two freighters from dry dock. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important. I want that Relay back online, Noble One."
"Sir, consider it done."
"Then I'll see you on the other side. Ironwood out."
The white haired Spartan turned toward Ruby. "Lieutenant? I guess they let anyone rank up to that these days, especially with someone supposedly younger than us." She mumbled. "Anyway, I'm Weiss, Noble Team's leader." She pointed to the other Nobles. "That's Pyrrha, Noble two. That's Noble three over there, Blake. Over there is Cardin, Noble four. Your older sister, Yang, is Noble five-"
"Guess that makes me Noble Six." Ruby said.
"Yeah. You're also riding with me." Weiss put her helmet on. "Friendly advice, put your helmet on. You'll be shooting blind without your HUD anyway."
"Ugh, I hate these helmets, it gets stuffy in there. I prefer going helmetless."
Weiss sighed. "Your shields can only do so much. It won't protect your head if you go helmetless. You're gonna lose an eye. Now, I advise that you put your helmet on or you're gonna lose an eye or worse. Understood? From now on, you obey orders from me."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Fine." She mumbled, putting her helmet on.
Resume BGM
"Just try not to die out there." Blake said as she walked out.
"Blake, how many times have I told you? Spartans never die, they just-"
"-Go missing in action. I know."
That's comforting… Ruby thought as they walked to the Falcons.
"Not going to lie to you, Ruby. You're stepping into some shoes the rest of the squad would rather leave unfilled. Me? I'm just happy to have Noble back up to full strength. And just so we're clear, I've read your file, even the parts the ONI censors didn't want me to. I'm glad to have your skill set, but we're a team. That lone wolf stuff stays behind. Am I clear?"
"Got it… but wait, I just realized you didn't address me by my rank."
"Impress me in the field and I might just do so." She said as the Falcons flew off.
"Welcome to Reach." Blake said to Ruby.
"Sooooo uh… what happened to the last Noble Six?"
"You don't want to know. All you need to know is that his name was Jaune." Yang said.
End BGM
Later…
BGM: Arrival in Visegrad (Halo Reach)
The two Falcons flew by a mountainside. "Alright, listen up, Noble Team. We're looking at a downed relay outpost fifty clicks from Visegrad. We're gonna introduce ourselves to whoever took it out and then Pyrrha's gonna get it back online."
"Just get me under the hood, Commander."
"Ma'am, why would rebels want to cut off Reach from the rest of the colonies?" Yang asked.
"You get a chance, maybe you can ask 'em, Yang." Weiss responded as the Falcons started to home in on the landing zone.
"Commander, we just lost contact with HQ." Pyrrha warned.
"Backup channels?"
"Searching… nope. Can't say what's jamming us."
"You heard her. Dead zone confirmed. Command will not be keeping us company this trip."
"I'm lonely already." Cardin snarked.
The Falcons arrived near the landing zones. "Shoot down attempts are likely, so keep your distance." Weiss advised.
"Yes, ma'am!" The pilot said, all of them seeing the communication's outpost further away.
End BGM
"Let's stay focused. Watch your sectors."
BGM: Distress (Halo Reach)
"There's the communication's outpost!" Yang said.
"And there's the distress beacon." Pyrrha added, noticing it was nearby.
"That could be the missing troopers, let's check it out." Weiss said. "Alright, put us down here." She instructed as the Falcons landed on the ground. "Blake, I want your eyes on the sky."
"Copy that." Blake stayed in the Falcon as the pilot moved away, but staying low to the ground.
"Alright, Noble Team. Spread out! We should be able to locate the distress beacon." Weiss instructed. "Six, let's just hope you impress me."
Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I take it? Ruby rolled her eyes through her visor as she pulled out her Assault Rifle, all of them spreading out as Ruby hopped off a cliff. She heard crunching underneath her feet as she looked down, seeing she was stepping on cabbages.
With an eyebrow raised, she continued on the path to the distress beacon with the rest of her team, all of their weapons at the ready. They walked up to a destroyed flaming Warthog as Cardin walked over to some pallets and knelt down, tossing a pallet away and finding the distress beacon.
"Found the beacon." Cardin said, tossing it to Pyrrha.
"They got any ID?" Weiss asked.
"Negative. But it's military." Pyrrha responded.
"So where are the troopers?" Yang wondered as they turned around.
Weiss grimaced. "Okay, something's not adding up…" She said to herself. "Alright, Noble Team? You have permission to engage, but be selective. We don't need to telegraph our presence."
"Got it." Ruby nodded as they started to walk through the path, only for some rustling bushes to alert their presence as a few Moas came running out, only for Ruby to mow them down.
"Six, what are you doing!" Weiss scolded.
"What? They were coming right at me." Ruby shrugged.
Weiss facepalmed. "Preserve your ammo!"
"She's not going to last long." Blake said.
"I hope you're wrong…"
As they continued on, the Noble Team split up while Ruby walked into a building, turning on her lights and looked around the building until she walked outside.
"Noble one, I'm picking up on some heat signatures in that house!" Blake warned as the doors opened to reveal some Villagers.
End BGM
"Down on your knees, now!" Cardin aimed his shotgun at them.
"Wait!" Yang stopped him. "They're not rebels, they're farmers. Er… villagers? Look at them."
"Ask them what they're doing here." Weiss ordered.
"What are you doing here?" Yang asked.
"Hiding!"
"From what?" Cardin asked.
"Our neighbors were tracked last night, we heard screams, gun fire… it stopped around sunrise. Something in the field killed my son."
"Some thing?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"Commander, be advised, I'm picking up on heat signatures of that structure directly east of your position, over!" Blake warned.
"Copy that. Get them back inside!" Weiss ordered as Cardin pushed them in and closed the door. "Noble team, double time!"
The Noble Team quickly ran toward the structure, weapons at the ready as they made it inside… only to discover a grisly sight. Two soldiers were already dead, one of them attached to a hook.
"Damn…" Weiss cursed under her breath as she looked at the soldiers. "Well… we found our troopers. By the looks of it, they look like they were interrogated."
"The blood still smells fresh." Pyrrha said as they looked around.
"Blake, are you seeing anything?"
"Negative, I'm not picking up on any heat signatures…"
They suddenly heard movement above them moving alongside the pipes. "What the hell…?" Yang wondered.
"Blake, are you sure you're not picking up on movement?" Cardin asked.
"No, I'm not picking up on any heat signatures. It's like it's… almost clean."
Weiss growled. "Well, this can't be good. Move out!" She ordered as they walked through the building, seeing nothing outside as they went into another building. The moment they climbed up the stairs, Ruby spotted something outside of a window.
"What in…?" Ruby narrowed her eyes, seeing a Skirmisher on a rooftop. "...Oh crap."
"The Covenant! Open fire!" Weiss yelled as they spread out, shooting at them as the Skirmishers and Grunts shot at them, although in typical Unggoy fashion, the latter started fleeing only to get killed.
Some of them moved inside, heading toward the basement only for Ruby to intercept them and shot them down. One of them attempted to fire, only to get shot in the head. Ruby walked up to the Skirmisher and noticed a weapon it was holding.
"Hmm…" Ruby looked at her Magnum before tossing it behind her and then picked up the Needle Rifle. "This'll do!" She grinned as she ran outside and shot at the remaining Grunts.
"Told you she's a natural with any weapon." Yang said.
"Yeah, I've noticed." Weiss nodded.
BGM: Free Fire Zone (Halo Reach)
"Dropship, incoming!" Blake called out as a Covenant Dropship came in and dropped off Jackals and Grunts, while a few Banshees shot at the Falcon that Blake was in, only for it to turn around and fired back.
The rest of the team crossed the bridge, shooting at the Covenant as a Grunt shot at Cardin with a Plasma Pistol, but was immediately killed when Cardin shot at him with the shotgun. "Dammit, why are the Covenant here?!"
"No idea, but I'm not going to let Reach fall to these assholes!" Weiss said, shooting them down with a DMR as Ruby headshot a few Grunts.
"Ya know what would be cool? Confetti shooting out of these heads." Ruby said.
"If we get these losers off of Reach, we'll get you all the confetti you want!"
"Really?"
"No."
Party pooper… Ruby thought as they continued to shoot at everything that moved.
"Commander, I'm picking up on more hostiles from the northeast!" Blake warned as they saw a group of Elites coming their way.
"Wort wort wort!"
"Cardin, you're with Pyrrha! Six and I will run interference on the ground. We'll meet you at the outpost!"
"Noble three, requesting airlift, over!" Pyrrha requested.
"You ever fought Sangheli, Six?" Weiss asked.
"Only in simulations."
"Well, this isn't a simulation. Hope you have what it takes!"
Ruby smirked, quickly shooting at the Elites with the rest of the Noble Team. Yang mowing down a few with her minigun as Ruby hid behind a haystack, then snuck up behind an Elite and quickly got the jump on him, assassinating him by stabbing him in the back of the neck and kicked him down, turning around and shooting another in the head a few times, destroying its shields and shooting it in the head again to kill him.
Ruby turned around, only to nearly get backhanded by another Elite hadn't she ducked as she shot him in both knees and then another in his crotch for good measure as she then shot him up to the point where she had to reload her Needle Rifle.
End BGM
"Alright, stand down! Contacts neutralized." Weiss said after shooting an Elite down.
"Contacts? It's the damn Covenant!" Yang said.
"Pyrrha, we gotta warn Ironwood! I need you at that relay outpost now!" Weiss ordered.
"I'm picking up on more activity in the east!" Blake warned as they ran off and found a truck.
"Copy that, Blake. Six, you're driving!"
"Oh, okay!" Ruby nodded as she hopped in as Weiss took the passenger seat and Yang climbed in the back.
"Six, I'm going to say this once. Just be glad Pyrrha's not driving."
"Why? Is she a reckless driver?"
"Driving's not her strongest suit."
"I heard that! I'm not that bad!"
Ruby sweatdropped. "Noted." Ruby put the truck in gear and started flooring it, driving through the area as she swerved at a corner and kept at a steady pace, seeing some Skirmishers up ahead.
"Skirmishers up ahea-"
Squish!
Crunch!
"Correction, there were Skirmishers." Yang chuckled.
"Honestly, turning the Covenant into speed bumps is good driving in my eyes." Weiss admitted as they kept going, driving around some Moas in the process and running over some unsuspecting Grunts.
"Mayday! Mayday! We need assistance! The Covenant are on Reach, I repeat, the Covenant are on Reach!"
BGM: Three Charlie (Halo Reach)
"Sounds like actual Troopers. Good." Weiss said.
"I hate to be that person, but do you think we really need to pick up stragglers?" Blake asked.
"We're not leaving anyone behind!" Weiss said. "Do you know where they are?"
"They're at a structure past a few bridges. Once you see enemy fire, you're at your destination."
"Good." Wiess nodded. "Six, punch it!"
"You got it!" Ruby nodded as they drove off, running over any Covenant in the way. An Elite got into position and shot at them, only to get ran over. However, he hung on to the hood and started to hang on, trying to aim a Plasma Rifle at them… only to get shot at in the face by Weiss's DMR as he fell and got ran over.
"Hmph. Pest."
Up ahead, they saw a few soldiers trapped by the Covenant forces. "Is that them?" Ruby asked.
"Looks like it!" Yang nodded as a Grunt turned around and saw the trio. It chuckled, pulling out a plasma grenade and threw it at the truck, sticking to the hood of the truck and it exploded, flipping over as the three jumped out as the truck did a few flips above the Grunt.
"Uh oh…" The Grunt braced for impact as the truck landed behind him and flipped over, crushing several Skirmishers and other Grunts behind him. "Huh? …Phew!" He sighed in relief, only to get shot in the face by Ruby.
An Elite turned around, only to get mowed down by Yang. "Don't even think about it!" She said as they walked toward the soldiers.
"Thank you… the Covenant are-"
"-On Reach, we know. Blake, we could use some assistance to get these guys out of here." Weiss saw a Dropship coming in. "Six, clear an LZ!"
"Not a problem." Ruby smirked as several Grunts and an Elite came out as Ruby went right to work, shooting them down… until she ran out of ammo in her Needle Rifle. "Crud!"
"Ha ha!" The Elite mocked… until Ruby threw her Needle Rifle into his face. "Ooof!" He grunted as Ruby shoulder tackled him and mowed him down with her Assault Rifle, then she picked up the Plasma Rifle.
"Thank you~!" She smiled, and proceeded to shoot down the rest of the Covenant until a Falcon came in where the soldiers went inside and then another Falcon came in with Blake inside.
End BGM
"Need a lift?" She asked as the Noble Team went inside and then flew off to Pyrrha and Cardin's location.
BGM: Noble Mission (Halo Reach)
"Noble two, sit rep." Weiss contacted.
"We're at the relay point. Unfortunately, the door's closed, so I'm trying to open it with a blow torch. To make matters worse, we got Covenant closing in on us. Cardin can only do so much with a shotgun."
"Okay, we're en route to your position." Weiss said as they flew off to their destination, flying around the mountainside until they found where Pyrrha and Cardin were at.
"That's definitely a firefight." Blake said.
"Okay, land us there!"
"The LZ is a little hot, ma'am!"
"Put us there!" Weiss ordered as the pilot landed. "Alright, break's over. Time to get to work!"
The Noble Team hopped out as they started firing at the Covenant that was overwhelming Cardin and Pyrrha, who was taking cover inside while doing her work.
"About time you guys got here! I was starting to get bored!" Cardin chuckled.
"Now's not the time for jokes." Weiss said as Ruby threw a grenade, sending Jackals and Grunts flying everywhere.
"Score!" Ruby fist pumped as they made their way over to the building as more Covenant started dropping in, which quickly started to overwhelm them as they kept shooting back.
"Got it!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "Everyone inside now! The door's closing!"
Everyone hurried inside, a few plasma bullets hitting Ruby and Yang as they made their way in and the door closed behind them.
End BGM
"Alright, now let's see what's in here." Yang said as they walked through, all of them turning on their Night Vision as they came across a dead body along with a soldier against a wall. Weiss immediately by his side.
"Where's the rest of your unit?" Weiss asked as Pyrrha checked on the equipment.
"We got split. I don't think they… it sounded bad on the comms."
"Alright, Corporal, stay put. We'll get you a combat surgeon."
"Damn…" Pyrrha mumbled under her breath as she was looking at the device. "Plasma damage!"
Ruby knelt down to check the dead body, where a data module slipped off the corpse's chest, which she picked up. "Found something… not sure what it is."
Pyrrha took it from her. "I'll take that. This isn't in your domain." She said as she turned around, only for an Elite Zealot to drop down on them with an Energy Sword.
BGM: Bait and Switch (Halo Reach)
"A Zealot?!" Yang exclaimed as another one dropped in, forcing all of them to attack the Zealots, both of them tanking the bullets as one managed to knock Ruby down.
"Oooof!" Ruby grunted as the Zealot attempted to impale her, but Ruby kicked him off of her and punched him. He roared in her face in response, only to be shot off by Weiss, forcing the Zealot to crawl away and run off with the other one. Weiss immediately kicked the Assault Rifle to Ruby as she picked it up right after.
"Alright! Two, you get back to working on letting Ironwood know! Five and Six, you get the Zealots! The rest of us will make sure no one else gets in!" Weiss said as Ruby and Yang immediately ran through the doorway, both of them turning on their night vision as they proceeded to open fire at the Covenant that worked their way inside.
Ruby spotted some tanks nearby as she had an idea. "Yang, you might want to avoid getting toasty!" She said, shooting at the tanks as Yang immediately took cover as the oil tanks exploded and wiped out the Grunts and Jackals.
"Well, that's one way to do it!" Yang said as they went further in, shooting their way forward and flanked the Covenant to shoot them down… until a Zealot came running in with an Energy Sword straight for Ruby. "Ruby, heads up!"
"Huh? Whoa!" Ruby jumped back as the Elite slashed at her, she quickly jumped back… only to land right into a hole. "Wah!" She yelped as the Elite jumped in after her. He turned toward her as Ruby found a Shotgun as she grabbed it, and then right as the Elite charged at her, she shot him in the chest to make him back up and then shot him again to kill him.
"You okay down there?"
"Yeah, I am now!" Ruby nodded, taking the Energy Sword and climbed out of the hole, cutting through the other Zealot without much effort. "Man! This thing packs a punch!" Ruby grinned.
"Commander, we cleared the room. Now what?" Yang asked.
"Do you see a junction near by? Pyrrha needs you to reset it."
Ruby spotted it. "Oh, you mean this thing?" She asked, pressing a button.
"Okay, I think we reset it!"
End BGM
Back with the others…
"How long?" Weiss asked as Pyrrha went to work.
"Question of my life…" Pyrrha mumbled. "If the question is, when will this station be back online, two weeks, earliest. This is plasma damage. All major uplink components are fried."
"Two minutes is too long."
"Why is why I'm splicing into the main overload bundle to get you into a direct line to General Ironwood… also, you're in my light."
"Sorry." Weiss backed away.
"Soooo…" Ruby spoke up. "Who's Jaune exactly?"
"He was the last Noble Six before you arrived. Decent shot, knew his way around an Energy Sword. He was an alright guy." Cardin shrugged. "Let's just say he-"
"I thought we discussed that we shouldn't talk about what happened to him. That was a grisly sight for us all." Blake siad.
"Hey, she asked!"
"All you need to know is that… you don't want to know." Weiss said.
Ruby sweatdropped. "Geez… vague much?"
"Got it!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "Spliced everything together… we got a signal. However, things are a bit patchy."
"I'll take it." Weiss said as she approached, taking off her helmet.
"I wouldn't bump anything if I were you. You wouldn't want to ground the place."
"I'll keep that in mind." Weiss said as the rest walked away.
"I'm barely getting you. What's your situation, over?"
"General, this is Noble One. There are no rebels. The Covenant are on Reach. Acknowledge?"
"Say again, Noble One? Did you say Covenant?"
"Affirmative. It's the Winter Contingency."
"...May Oum help us all."
"I seriously doubt he'll be of much help." Hades chuckled. "Anywho, on to the next phase!"
Two Falcons headed over to an ONI: Sword Base, flying over the ice cold waters.
"Be advised, kilo-three-three and kilo-three-four. Your current LZ is too hot!"
BGM: Sword Control (Halo Reach)
"Roger that. Dot, standby to receive and respond."
"Yes, Commander. Coordinates received. Initiate immediate course correction. The Office of Naval Intelligence Sword Base is presently under siege from a Corvette-class Covenant vessel. Due to the sensitive nature of this facility, use of orbital rounds has been, for the moment, prohibited. Regrettably, my efforts to obtain relevant data on enemy forces have been unsuccessful, however current defensive forces are insufficient. ONI has requested Team Noble's direct intervention to help secure Sword Base."
"Alright, people. We're stuck with that ship for the time being. Let's focus on the hostile infantry, give those Troopers a hand." Weiss explained as they flew over the base. "Six, Pyrrha, you're out here. Yang, Cardin, you're next. Get prepped."
"Let's move, lieutenant!" Pyrrha said as she hopped off.
At least SHE calls me lieutenant! Ruby thought as she followed her.
"Push back the Covenant forces! Find out what we're dealing with!" Weiss ordered.
"Copy that!" Pyrrha nodded.
"So… you think the Commander respects me?"
"Give her time. You actually impressed her, she's just… hard to come around at times. It's in her nature."
"Oooh, got it." Ruby nodded as they started mowing down enemy defenses as a Phantom dropped in to bring in reinforcements to try and overwhelm them. However, Ruby and Pyrrha proceeded to wipe the floor with them easily.
A Jackal tried to shoot at Pyrrha with an overcharged Plasma Pistol, but Pyrrha rolled out of cover and shot him up to kill it. She ran over to shoot some Grunts but then stopped herself, looking at the plasma shield that the dead Jackal was holding. "Hmm…" Pyrrha took it off and attached it to her arm. "Yeah, I think this fits me!" She smiled as she went back to destroying the Covenant until the whole sector was cleared after Ruby shot down four Skirmishers in a row.
"There we go. Sector is clea-... uh…" Ruby stared at the Plasma shield. "You do know our armor has shields, right?"
"Yeah. I don't know why, but it feels like this fits me." Pyrrha shrugged.
"Ooookay then." Ruby nodded as they turned around and went through the gate. As they did, something caught Ruby's eye. "What in…?" She wondered as she walked toward it.
"That's a… Target Locator." Pyrrha said. "Sword Control, I'm seeing a Target Locator. Any target support in the area?"
"Limited, but we'll prioritize whatever you need, ma'am."
The gates opened up to reveal the Corvette shooting down at the base and they also saw a Transport Warthog trying to get away from two Wraiths, only to get blown up by said Wraiths. "Six, you might want-"
"I'm on it." Ruby aimed it at the Wraiths, placing down a marker with the Target Locator as the Wraiths started to open fire, only for an airstrike to rain hellfire on the two Wraiths and the Grunts that were nearby, obliterating them all. "Whoa!" Ruby looked at the Target Locator with a a sparkle in her eye. "Ooooh, I am so keeping you!"
"Hate to break it to you, Spartan, but that is only usable two times. You only have one shot left."
Ruby slumped. "You're kidding me…"
"Nope. That's how it was designed."
"Ooooh, then design a better one then!" Ruby grumbled as a Pelican flew in, transporting a Warthog where it released it as it dropped on the ground.
"The old Farragut Station has its own comms array. That should bring us back online with Command. Airview Base has an anti-air battery that will help clear the skies."
End BGM
"Hmm… it's your call, Six. Where do you think we should go first?" Pyrrha asked.
"The sooner we get the communications up, the better." Ruby said. "Then we can get the AA gun online."
"Sounds good." Pyrrha hopped in the driver's seat as Ruby climbed in the passenger seat.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you! Pyrrha's the worst driver out of all the Spartans!" A Marine warned.
"One time!" Pyrrha groaned.
"Oh, I'm sure it's not that bad." Ruby smiled.
"Thank you." Pyrrha nodded as she looked down. "...Um… now which pedal was it again?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? There's the brake, there's the gas pedal-" She leaned over. "And there's- SIX OF THEM?! Vehicles should have two! …Three if you're counting the emergency brake!"
"Ah, I got it, it's this one!" Pyrrha floored it as Ruby held on.
Okay, this should be a piece of cake… they're probably just hyping her up to be a scary driver. Ruby thought, but to her dismay, Pyrrha swerved all over the place and smashed into several Ghosts, destroying them and the pilots that were in it. In fact, she drove into the ice cold water.
At the Comms base, several Elites and Grunts wandered around the base… only for the Warthog to jump out of the water near the base as Pyrrha ran over a few Skirmishers and Elites, hitting the brakes as Pyrrha jumped out, shooting any Covenant force in the way as she shot down a Jackal, picked up the Needle Rifle and started shooting everyone down. She even threw her plasma shield to cut a Skirmisher's head off.
"Comms station secured." Pyrrha said as she grabbed the shield. "Alright, Ruby, let's get these Comms back on-" She paused, noticing a bonfire as Ruby was standing next to it. "...What are you doing?"
"Trying to warm up after you friggin' drove into the arctic ocean, you crazy woman!"
"That was a detour."
"Detour, my armor!" Ruby said, taking off her helmet and wrung out her hair.
"Nonsense. Jaune never complained about my driving." She smiled as she walked away.
"I'm starting to get a clear picture of how Jaune died…" Ruby grumbled as Pyrrha reactivated the Comms.
"Alright, Comms back online!"
"Excellent work, Spartans. We're sending in mobile firepower."
A Pelican flew by, dropping a Gauss Warthog for them.
"A Gauss Hog?! Ooooh, awesome!" Ruby grinned. "Shotgu-... wait… no!"
"You called it~" Pyrrha smiled as she went into the driver's seat.
"Ooooh… fine, but I'm manning the gun!" Ruby climbed in the back. Maybe she can give me a clear shot. She hoped as they drove off, and saw the AA Gun currently offline and was crawling with Covenant.
"Here we go!" Pyrrha said, flooring it as she proceeded to run over Jackals and Skirmishers as Ruby aimed and fired at some Elites, only for Pyrrha to swerve and do doughnuts.
"What are you…?!"
"Improvising!"
"I can't get a clear shot, woman!" Ruby complained as she kept firing, only to keep missing as a few Elites looked at each other and pulled out score cards of 1/10. "OH COME ON, THE COVENANT ARE JUDGING US!"
"I can handle it!" Pyrrha said as she hit the brakes and charged ahead… into the building and crashed into a wall.
"...Alright, that's it!" Ruby tore off the Gauss cannon and hopped off, blasting the Covenant away while Pyrrha backed away after having pinned a Skirmisher into a wall.
"Who said I'm bad at driving?" Pyrrha chuckled as she backed up, only to see the whole battlefield void of life. "Oh? Looks like you handled it on your own." Pyrrha smiled as Ruby walked up the stairs, grumbling incoherently while also muttering "Worst driver of all time" as she turned the AA Gun back online.
"There! The Anti Air gun is online!" She said in annoyance as the AA gun proceeded to shoot down Banshees.
"Good work, Noble Team. Now get back to Sword Base. Be advised, though, the Corvette is making its move. Six, Pyrrha, get back here quick!" Weiss ordered.
BGM: Inbound Imminent (Halo Reach)
"On it! Let's mo- WHOA!" Pyrrha was yanked out forcefully by Ruby as she hopped in the driver seat.
"This time, I'M DRIVING!" She yelled as Pyrrha got in the passenger seat.
"You could've just asked nicely." Pyrrha lightly scolded as Ruby drove off, handing her the Gauss cannon in the process as Pyrrha swiftly shot down Ghosts and Revenants with ease while Ruby decided to take her frustrations out by running over Grunts.
"We're stalled in the tower atrium." Blake called them. "Where are you?"
"We're at the gate. Though, I'd steer clear of Noble Six. She seems a bit… on edge."
Oh, I'll show you on edge… Ruby thought as she opened the gate as they drove through, only for concrete barriers to block the Warthog from advancing. "Aw come on… alright, fine!" She grumbled as she got out as Pyrrha pulled out the Gauss cannon and proceeded to blast away the Covenant that were charging at them while Ruby picked off the stragglers with the Plasma Repeater.
Once they walked into the base, they would see two Hunters shooting at soldiers. "Mgalekgolo!" Pyrrha exclaimed.
"Hunters… lovely." Ruby rolled her eyes as the two Hunters spotted them and opened fire as one of them charged at them to bat Ruby with their shield arm, but she was able to jump back in time.
"Shoot them in the back! That's their weak point!" Pyrrha said, only to discover the Gauss cannon was out of juice. "...Crud!"
Ruby gasped. "Wait a second!" She smirked. "Hey! Ugly and ugly two!" She called out to them. "Catch me if you can, you slug for brains!" She ran off as the Hunters chased after her.
"Six, what are you doing?" Pyrrha wondered as Ruby quickly hid behind another concrete barrier as the Hunters aimed and fired at Ruby. She pulled out the Target Locator and then pointed a marker at them.
"Heheheh~!" She smirked as the Hunters looked down and then looked up. They both roared as they were swiftly obliterated by the airstrike. She tossed the Target Locator behind her as she picked up a DMR. "Catharsis for the win!" She said as she walked back into base.
End BGM
"I completely forgot about the Target Locator."
"I didn't~!" Ruby smiled.
"I'm not sure what that explosion was, but it meant to destroy the Covenant, then I don't care. Now get your butts in here now!" Weiss ordered as the duo went into the elevator and went up, then as they got out of the elevator, they ran out and shot through the Covenant forces rather quickly, where they met up with Yang mowing down Jackals.
"There you are!" Yang said. "You're missing all the fun!"
"Just think of us as being fashionably late." Ruby said.
"Fashionably late or not, Cardin needs you upstairs. He's currently fighting off a Phantom." Weiss said as the base shook violently. "AND this base is taking a heavy beating from the Corvette, so get your ass up there and help Cardin out! Yang, make sure Six gets up there!'
"Roger that. Let's go Ru-" A few Elites fell to the ground lifelessly as Yang looked up to see Ruby already up a few floors. "Hey Commander? I don't think she needs an escort."
Ruby tore through the building, shooting down Jackals and Elites as she picked up a Concussion Rifle and started blasting away Grunts as she climbed her way to the top, shooting down more Covenant while the building violently shook from the Corvette's attacks.
"I don't think I can take much more of this! I need another Spartan on the-"
"I'm here!" Ruby said.
"-Double…" Cardin pointed to a Rocket Launcher. "Pick one up. I'm trying to shoot this bastard down yet these Banshees are giving me hell!"
Ruby picked it up. "Alright, here we go." She smirked, aiming and firing at the Phantom. Its turrets turned to Ruby and fired at her, where she fired again while sidestepping… and then fired one more rocket which caused the Phantom to explode.
"Yeah, you're welcome. I softened it up for you." Cardin said.
"You're too kind." Ruby said, shooting down the rest of the Banshees.
"Woo! We're clear! That's the way we get it done around here!"
"Noble team, Longswords are inbound and ready to push. Orbital defense is standing by to take the shot."
BGM: Debrief (Halo Reach)
They watched as the Corvette started to flee as two Longswords started to chase after it. "Sooo… what's got you all antsy?" Cardin asked.
"You don't want to know…"
"Pyrrha's driving skills?"
"Pyrrha's driving skills."
Cardin chuckled. "I thought so."
"She ought to get her license revoked."
"Believe me, they tried. They're too scared to revoke her driver's license."
Ruby sweatdropped. "Great…" She said as the Longswords suddenly pulled away… right as a MAC round shot down and destroyed the Corvette, causing it to fall into the lake.
"Heh, beautiful, isn't it?" Yang approached while Cardin walked off. "Someone ought to take a picture." She put her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Nice work, by the way."
"I aim to please." Ruby chuckled.
"Five, Six… get down to the science wing. Doctor Halsey wants a debrief and Command's saying we're all hers." Weiss explained.
"Repeat that? Sounded like you just said Halsey."
"I did."
"Copy that. On our way." Yang turned to Ruby. "Don't need Command to tell me. Been all hers half my life."
"...Isn't she the one who kidnaps kids to turn them into Spartans?" Ruby asked as Yang said nothing. "Mindless soldiers? I mean-... hey, wait up!"
The two of them walked into the science wing where the other Nobles were in there.
"I requested your assistance, Commander, and do not need a report on events that occur on my doorstep. What I do require is a detailed account of your previous engagement-" Halsey spotted Yang. "Yang, it's been too long."
"Ma'am." She greeted.
"What have you done with my armor?"
"Just some… additions I've made."
"Indeed. Keep that up and I wouldn't be surprised if you decided to throw in shotgun bracelets for the hell of it."
Huh? Yang raised an eyebrow.
Halsey turned back to Weiss. "Visegrad Relay. Its data center was home to one of my xenoarchaeologists, Professor Oobleck… or as he tends to be called: "Doctor". Perhaps you can shed some light on his death."
"Oobleck? He was Lazlo Sorvad." Weiss said. "A sixty year old civili-"
"Please, everyone knows Oobleck likes to disguise himself as an old man just so he believes that everyone will take him seriously."
"That's way out of left field, even for Oobleck!" Hades snarked.
Weiss sighed. "Anyway, he died with a Covenant Energy Sword through his abdomen."
"Elites then. Tell me more about them."
"There were two of them." Yang explained. "Zealot class. One managed to slip past us… I'm sure it was the leader."
"Zealots. You're certain?"
"Armor configuration matched."
"Shield strength, too!" Ruby chimed in.
"I gave the order to pursue. Yang and Six were to take care of the Zealots while the rest of us hung back to get the relay station up and running again. That was our primary objective." weiss explained.
"Your primary objective? Commander, are you a puppet or a Spartan?"
Weiss narrowed her eyes while Blake and Cardin looked at Halsey with raised eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"There at those at ONI, myself included, who believe the Covenant dispatch Elite advance teams to hunt down artifacts of value to their religion. Survivor accounts suggests such teams are small, nimble and almost always Zealot class. No doubt they came to the station for the abundance of ONI excavation data stored there… and you let them get away."
"Data retrieval was not a command directive. Even had we known, we had other, more urgent matters to attend to."
"Like warning the planet." Pyrrha said.
"Doctor Oobleck's final entry in his field notes made reference to a latchkey discovery. Latchkey. Not a word he would use lightly… so let's hope the data module your Lieutenant Commander stole contains it." She looked over to Pyrrha.
"...Pyrrha?"
"Before you ask, I was alerted to the moment you attempted to access its contents. As I am with any unauthorized tap." She said, opening it up as Pyrrha gave her back the module, while also glaring at Halsey. "That data is classified tier one… I could send you to the brig for interfering with my work."
"Maybe you'd like to join her." Weiss glared.
"I'm sorry?"
"We're currently under emergency planetary directive, Winter Contingency. I'm sure you're familiar with the punishment for civilian interference with a Spartan deployment."
"Are you threatening me, Commander?"
Weiss smirked. "Just making a reading suggestion." She walked off. "Let's move, Noble Team." They all walked off with even Yang chuckling.
End BGM
"Spartans… think they know everything." Halsey mumbled.
"Who's the one that turned kids into super soldiers against their will again? Oh wait…" Hades chuckled. "Anywho, onto the next phase!"
"Recon Team Bravo reporting in: Three and Six in position." Blake said as she and Ruby walked alongside a cliff edge at night. Specifically, 26:30 hours. "It's starting to get crowded up here, Pyrrha."
"Then we're closing in. Report any Covenant structures or devices. Direct action may be necessary."
"Copy that." Blake said and then chuckled. "When Pyrrha runs an op, direct action is always necessary." She handed Ruby a magazine. "Here, you may need these. High velocity armor piercing. They'll take the hat off an Elite at two thousand yards… and they ain't cheap."
"Whoa… I'd believe it." Ruby nodded, taking it for herself as Blake climbed up a rock.
"I'll be in touch."
With a nod, Ruby slid down the cliff side and landed on the ground.
BGM: Children of Reach (Halo Reach)
Ruby moved forward, taking a look at her Sniper Rifle that Blake had given her. I don't know why, but this feels completely natural.
"Recon Bravo, the sector ahead is dark to electronic surveillance."
"Covenant can block our instruments?"
"So it would seem, and Command wants to know what they're hiding."
"Nothing good…" Ruby said to herself as she found an Elite watching over a cliff. She instinctively snuck up behind it, pulling out her knife and then swiftly assassinated the Elite, kicking him down the cliff.
"Not bad!" Blake said as she rejoined her as they both slid down and proceeded to kill three sleeping Grunts. They kept moving until Ruby spotted something that caught her attention.
"Armor Lock?" Ruby immediately snagged it. "Don't mind if I do." She said as they came across a small settlement.
"Recon Bravo to Noble Two, we have eyes on multiple hostiles patrolling a settlement. This what we're looking for, Pyrrha?"
"Negative. Too small, you're not in the dark zone yet. Engage at your own discretion, but keep moving."
BANG!
An Elite had dropped to the ground as Ruby was on her stomach. "Keep moving? This is awkward…" Ruby said.
"Eh, a little target practice never hurt anyone." Blake said as she helped Ruby out, both of them sniping the Covenant before they had a chance to return fire.
End BGM
"Got six!"
"Seven. Try to keep up." Blake walked off.
"Show off…" Ruby mumbled as they walked through a building, only to be shot at by a plasma turret. They took cover as Blake aimed and fired, hitting the Grunt at the turret to kill it. The Elite nearby decided to run toward the Plasma Turret, only to get shot in the head by Ruby.
"Nice shot."
"Eh, it was nothing." Ruby chuckled as they moved on, casually throwing a grenade at a Grunt and a Jackal, blasting them away as they walked through and came across two large creatures destroying some Covenant forces.
"Whoa…" Blake said as they took cover. "Pyrrha, are you seeing this?"
"I am. Those are indigenous creatures called Guta. Very dangerous animals. I personally recommend not shooting them down, but if they see you… you'll just have to shoot them down."
"Why's that?" Ruby asked.
"Because they also attack UNSC forces. Oh… I think they just noticed you."
"Crap! Okay, you get the one on the left and you get the other on the right?"
"Sounds good." Blake nodded, both of them shooting at the creatures charged at the duo, where both snipers kept shooting them until they fell to the ground in death.
"Interesting, I didn't know they were bullet sponges."
"Ugh, where was a Spartan Laser when you needed one?" Ruby groaned, reloading her ammo as they walked through the path while shooting any straggler they saw.
Soon, they heard gunfire that echoed through the area. They quickly moved to cover and found a few civilians firing at some Covenant. "Hmm…" Blake narrowed her eyes. "Noble Two, that's some sort of pump station. Got eyes on civilia-" The Covenant shot them down, killing them.
"Ooooh." Ruby winced.
"Scratch that. The civilians were killed."
"Dammit… they probably had intel we needed. Destroy the Covenant."
"Roger that." Blake nodded. "Ready?"
"You bet." Ruby nodded as they aimed and fired at the Covenant, popping their heads easily as more reinforcements arrived, only to get sniped by the two until no reinforcements remained. "Twenty!"
"Twenty two."
"Figures…" Ruby grumbled as they slid down the cliff and walked toward the pump station, gathering up more ammo for their sniper rifles.
"No survivors…" Blake sighed before noticing a sign as she walked over to it. "Let's see… oh, apparently, there's a hydro-electric plant nearby. We can take the riverbed. Apparently, they dammed a river forty five years ago… the plant powers up every settlement in the territory."
"Well, at least we don't have to swim. Good thing too, I don't think this armor can light enough for us to swim through."
"Not unless you're a good swimmer. Let's move." Blake said as they walked through the riverbed, where they would soon come across said electric plant. Unfortunately, the Covenant had captured it.
"Oh, that figures…" Ruby mumbled as Blake spotted a pylon nearby.
"Hmm? Pyrrha, are you seeing this? Covenant structure. Kind of a big pylon… heavily fortified."
"That's the source of the dark zone."
"Okay, consider it gone."
"Negative. Stick a remote detonator charge on it. Command's planning something big. They say the pylon dies at dawn."
"Wait, we're gonna blow it up? Shoot… I should've kept that Target Locator…" Ruby grumbled.
"It only had two charges."
"I know!" Ruby sighed.
"Anyway, let's clear the area and then I'll plant the charge."
"Right." Ruby nodded as they crossed the bridge, assassinating a few sleeping Grunts and an unsuspecting Elite as they proceeded to go up into the pylon and proceeded to snipe the Covenant, where Ruby spotted a Plasma Turret and ripped it off, mowing down some Elites that tried to shoot at the both of them while Blake continued to headshot anyone that dared to get into her line of sight.
"Alright, area is clear. I'll set the charge." Blake said as she hopped down as Ruby threw the Plasma Turret to the side and let her do it… but then a Phantom came in.
"Blake, we got a bogey coming in!"
"Crap! Cover me!"
"You got i-" Two Hunters dropped down from the Phantom as it took off afterward. "...Shit."
BGM: Direct Action (Halo Reach)
"What's wrong?"
"Hunters!"
"Oh, lovely!" Blake groaned as the Hunters both fired at Ruby, none of them noticing Blake at the moment.
"Oh come on, why do I gotta be the guinea pig?!" Ruby complained as she saw the Plasma Turret. She smiled… until a Hunter crushed it. She groaned as she fired at the two while taking cover. She reloaded as she got out of cover to see a Hunter heading straight for Blake.
"Blake!" Ruby exclaimed before noticing a forklift. She had an idea as she ran toward the forklift and hopped in, turning on the ignition as she drove toward the Hunter. "Hey big guy!" She called out as the Hunter turned, only for the forklift to slam into it.
The Hunter roared, slamming its shield and arm cannon into Ruby as she kept driving until she parked it then hopped off. Ruby then kicked the forklift in the back, giving it a final push… off the cliff. The Hunter roared as it fell into the canyon below, the roars fading in the distance.
"Ha! Score one for Noble Six! Woo!" Ruby cheered, and then got backhanded by the other Hunter. "Agh!" She yelped, falling on her back as her helmet came off. She growled, pulling out her Magnum and fired at the Hunter who blocked it with his shield. Ruby sprang up and punched the ground, Armor Locking in place as the Hunter attempted to clobber her.
BANG!
The Hunter staggered, it turned around to see Blake aiming her sniper rifle from above the pylon. The Hunter growled, aiming its arm cannon at her and shooting her while Ruby got out of Armor Lock and pulled out a Plasma Grenade, stuffing it inside of the Hunter's weak spot and walked away, where it exploded and killed the Hunter.
End BGM
"Thanks!" Ruby smiled, taking her helmet and putting it back on.
"Just looking out for you." Blake said. "Recon Brave to Noble Two, the charge is in place."
"Somewhere inconspicuous, I hope."
"Stuck it inside the pylon's power supply."
"Alright, keep pushing into the dark zone. Command wants to know what the Covenant are hiding."
"There's a gate to the southeast of the power plant."
"Copy. Uploading security codes to you now."
The two of them walked over to the gate where Pyrrha gave Blake the security codes. "Thank you…" Blake punched in the coordinates, unlocking the gate. "We're in."
"You're heading right into the dark zone."
"Understood." Blake turned to Ruby. "You ready?"
"You know it!" The two of them charged ahead, where a Phantom dropped in reinforcements, only for said reinforcements to get shot down by the sniper duo as they walked further in, only to get shot at by Shade Turrets.
"Shade turrets… that figures!" Blake grumbled. "Ruby, think you can snipe them?"
"I can try." Ruby nodded as the two got out of cover and proceeded to shoot at the Grunts and Elites who were manning the Shade Turrets. Ruby got up to a Shade Turret and looked down a slope to see some Jackals and Elites shooting at Blake. Ruby smirked, kicking the Shade Turret down. "Ooops~"
The Shade Turret rolled down the hill, bowling over the Jackals and Elites as one SpecOp Elite turned around and stopped the turret from bowling him over… only to get headshotted by Blake. "Aw man… so much for the strike." Ruby pouted.
"Not to worry, I picked up the spare." Blake chuckled as they kept going, taking out any straggler along the way as they made it to a cliffside, staring out at what was in front of them. A massive Covenant landing zone.
"Whoa…" Ruby whispered.
"Jackpot." Blake smirked.
"Transmitting visual."
"You seeing this, Pyrrha?"
"Confirmed. Receiving Noble Three and Noble Six's live visual of a Covenant strike force."
"That's no strike force, that's an invading army. If we're gonna smother this thing, we need to go in hard and fast."
"Agreed. All recon teams disengage and fall back. Sun will be up in a few hours and it's going to be a very busy day."
Blake got up and walked off. "Ruby, hope you like coffee. We're not gonna be sleeping well tonight."
"Eh, I've done all nighter recons before… how bad can this mission be?"
"Oh, if only she knew… anywho, that's all for now. See you next time!"
Introduciiiiing, a What If project that I've been planning on for weeks! A three part arc of RWBY and Co fighting in Reach!
Ibuki: Oooooh, so this is what you were getting excited over!
Yup! See y'all around for part two!