*Legend 17*

The first steppes

...

And so Fireteam Rosenkreuz, albeit down a member, made their way to the hangar bay, the butterflies of battle's anticipation dancing in their stomachs. Their trip across the courtyard passed in just about complete silence. Weiss made several attempts at conversation with Ruby (mostly attempts on elaborating on what happened last night, or rather, almost happened) but there was just no raising the girl. Ruby was already "In the zone" as it were; her red hood was flipped up over her head and her silver hunting knife was twirling rhythmically through the fingers of her left hand. And in just a few more of these focused moments, did they arrive at the hangar.

As Weiss called her ship into being, Ruby allowed her gaze to wander about the space, and then did her silver eyes light on something.

"The ship is ready. Windig, prepare transmat." She turned to her leader, "Ruby, are you ready..." But Ruby had apparently left off listening. Her stare at a certain group of people across the hangar was startlingly intense. "Was ist es?" Weiss asked her.

"Them," was Ruby's simple answer, crooking her neck in the direction of her stare.

Just across the space stood a group of three people, a Guardian Fireteam. Ruby recognized one of their members, the girl from the initiation pairings, Noel Vermillion. But the other two members, one male, one female, she had never seen before. "Who are they?"

"Jin Kisaragi and Tsubaki Yayoi of Fireteam Novus," Weiss said in answer. "They are strong; second only to Fireteam Cinder."

Zwei flashed out of Ruby's head at that point. "And they're all members of the Future War Cult. Bunch of weirdos if you ask me."

"How so?" Ruby asked.

"All they ever talk about is how 'war is coming' and 'war is the only answer'. And those morons think they can see the future somehow..."

Weiss rested a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "And like I said before, they are quite strong, so I doubt very much that you want them to catch you starring daggers at them like that..."

Ruby could sense her partner's unease and relented. "Sorry, you're right. Let's just get to doing the thing."

Weiss smiled and nodded, her eyes lingering on Ruby's own for perhaps just a second longer than necessary. The transmat was initiated and Weiss's Javelin was soon speeding them through the sky towards The Cosmodrome.

In these very pre-battle moments of peace, did Ruby ponder aloud, "Why the Cosmo...?"

"I'm sorry?" Weiss said from the cockpit.

Ruby started just slightly, she wasn't really asking the question directly, just more or less thinking out loud. "Well," she began, now on the spot. "It seems like The Fallen are really concentrating their efforts on this one place. I mean they have all of Earth to screw around on, but they keep coming here. I just don't know why though..."

"Perhaps because this is as close to The Traveler as they can get," Weiss offered. "They cannot attack it directly, it's Light is far too strong." Weiss sucked on her lower lip. "Maybe they are...I don't know," she finished lamely. "But the fact remains that they must be pushed back."

"Never argued that," Ruby said with a smirk.

Weiss took a look at the terrain below them through the forward window. "Oh, Ruby, look down below."

Ruby did so, leaning to her right. A smile crossed her face. "Ah, The Mothyards. Good times, good times." Ruby's smile widened as she recalled the somewhat recent events. "Initiation...me not having a Ghost...you totally hating me..."

"I what?" Weiss said in genuine shock.

"Oh stop," Ruby said with a chuckle. "You hated my guts."

"Well, I was not terribly fond of you at the time, no. But that was before I..." The end of Weiss's sentence hung somewhat awkwardly, possibly purposefully leaving it open to interpretation. "...Knew you as a teammate..."

Ruby had several simultaneous reactions to Weiss's belated addendum; The first was an involuntary smile of chagrin, perfectly synchronized with an expelling of a throaty breath; this immediately followed by her heart plummeting into her stomach. What was she hoping for Weiss to say exactly? She certainly wouldn't...no...of course she wouldn't. But then Weiss spoke up again. "And besides, if I recall, you didn't like me much either."

"That's not true!" Ruby said in rushed defense. "Maybe I...well...it's like you said, it was before I..." Ruby found her own sentence trailing now, unsure of which direction to take it.

Zwei made an appearance then, flying out of Ruby's head. "I'm sorry, but do you two need the ship to yourselves for a moment?"

Weiss turned her head in the device's direction. "Was?"

Zwei spun the edges of his shell, apparently in great humor. "I mean, come on, this couldn't possibly be any more awkwardly adorable! Just come out and say-"

But that's when Windig flashed into being, a rebuttal ready on her tongue. "Say what, exactly? Just what are you insinuating?"

There was suddenly a faint clink! that sounded through the cabin, as Zwei, not minding his flight path, flew directly into Windig. "Watch where you are going, dummkopf!"

"I was here first, get a ship!" Was Zwei's sharp response.

"Zwei, stop making trouble!" Ruby said, although she couldn't suppress her laughter at the two Ghosts bickering.

Laughter also came from Weiss's direction, which was soon cut off. "We have nearly arrived at The Steppes. Initiating landing sequence."

Small talk was over. Time to get to it.

The ground beneath them loomed larger as Weiss made her approach. And just a safely land-able distance above the ground was the transmat initiated, and the girls were deposited on the dusty grounds of The Steppes.

Ruby looked about and there, in a small crook of this landing zone where Guardian supplies and ops were set up, did she espy Fireteam Cardinal. As She and Weiss approached, Cardin Winchester stood to meet them. The two team leaders squared off then. "Rosenkreuz," Said Cardin in a gruffly formal manner.

"Cardinal," Ruby responded in kind.

Cardin's eyes did a sweeping inventory of their persons then. "Where's your third?" He asked tauntingly. Only stony silence from Ruby and Weiss. "You know, tall, blonde, sexy as all, and related to you somehow," he said this derisively to Ruby.

"She is...temporarily indisposed," Weiss said, although not as firmly as she would have liked.

"I'll bet," Russel spoke up then. He was reclined rather coolly against a large crate, his legs crossed and a sprig in his mouth. "Heard Nikos didn't like that stunt she pulled at The Life Exotic, and now the broad is grounded."

"Why don't we just cut to the chase here?" Ruby said shortly. "What did your patrol turn up?"

Cardin folded his arms over his chest. "Most of it was pretty routine , until The Fallen decided to start poking their noses into things. We had to fend off three Skiff attacks in less than an hour." Cardin rubbed his chin in contemplation. "They're definitely after something here, don't know what it is though because we never gave them the chance to find it. Stay on your guard." Ruby nodded as she absorbed the information.

Cardin called to his Ghost then. "Joan!" And she appeared by his side. "Yes, Cardin?" She asked.

"Take us up," was his command.

"Of course."

Just before he and his team vanished, did Cardin say to Ruby, "Hey Rose. Tell your sister I'll be by in a little bit."

And just as his sentence ended, was there a blinding glint of silver that flashed through the air. Ruby, in a trained Hunter's instant, had drawn one of her miniature throwing knives from a holster around her left thigh and loosed it in Cardin's direction, directly at his face. But Cardin had vanished in just the nick of time and the projectile embedded itself in a crate with a dull thunk!

"Ruby!" Weiss gasped.

Ruby retrieved her knife. "Traveler, I hate that asshole!"

Weiss looked to her leader in mild concern. "They are just words, Ruby. You should not let them affect you so."

Ruby inhaled and exhaled slowly through her nose. "Let's get started here," she said, paying almost no heed to Weiss's advice. "Zwei, I read there's a map facility here somewhere. Find it please."

Zwei collapsed his shell as he cast his search net over the space. "Found it," he said. "Just a few clicks north actually."

And so the girls, weaponry in hand, started across the somewhat uneven terrain of The Steppes. This place wasn't exactly large, being purposefully boxed in by the walls of huge multi-purpose facilities, but it was expansive enough that most Guardians preferred to travel by Sparrow as opposed to walking. But Ruby much liked the manual process of a good hike; the sun shining in her eyes; the wind whipping at her cloak; this is what being a Hunter was all about. Weiss didn't seem to be enjoying the trek as much, the wedge heels of her boots proved to be ill-suited to the landscape, so the girl took to using a soft version of her Void Glide; her feet hovering just mere inches above the ground as she propelled herself along.

After several more minutes, did the map facility come into view. "Phew, almost there," Weiss said. Ruby suddenly came to an abrupt halt, reaching out to grab Weiss's arm as to stop her progress. The upper half of her body halted, Weiss's feet actually came out from under her, rendering her nearly parallel to the ground. She cut off her Glide as she planted her feet firmly on the earth again. "What is it?"

In answer, Ruby flattened herself against the ground, in the "prone" posture. Weiss followed suit, albeit somewhat awkwardly, cringing at the dirt that was smearing all over her pretty white combat skirt. "Ruby, what is it?"

But the girl still would not answer. From transmat did Ruby retrieve her Calcutta-LR2 sniper rifle. She rocked the action, locking a shell into the chamber. Settling her eye against the scope did she become stone-still, Weiss doubted that she was even breathing. Weiss looked out onto the plain where Ruby was staring, and after a second of careful squinting, did she finally locate the object of Ruby's focus.

A lone Vandal was stalking about the place, while it didn't look rushed, it seemed to be clearly looking for something. Weiss now saw Ruby's plan of action. She smiled just a bit. "Think you can make the shot?" She challenged playfully.

"Hmp, can I?" Was Ruby's superior response.

Weiss turned to Ruby, slightly alarmed at her lack of confidence. "Can you?"

"Of course I can!" Ruby said. She adopted her posture of focus as she re-acquired the Vandal in her scope. She held her breath...waited for just the right moment and... CHEOOW! The high caliber round took the creature's head clean off in an instant. "Aw yea, killed it in the face!" Ruby cheered.

Weiss was awed. "Ruby, you are every bit the Hunter they say you are." Ruby regained her feet as she shouldered her sniper rifle. "We should be able to get in there now."

"There are no more Fallen?" Weiss asked.

"No," was Ruby's answer. "Not sure why that Vandal was alone but it doesn't matter anymore."

And so they crossed the short space and entered the facility. After heading down several flights of stairs, did they reach the main computer console. Zwei popped out of Ruby's head then. "Look, it's a map of the entire region!" He said.

"Start the download, Zwei. We'll need this for later."

As Zwei swept about the console, Weiss's own Ghost was performing a download of the map as well. Upon it's completion, did Weiss notice something. "That is our current position, yes?" She pointed to a green blinking icon on roughly near the map's center.

"I think so," Ruby said. "Why?"

Weiss's eyes widened. The same pointed finger was now directed at something on the right of the map, a trio of blinking red dots, headed strait for their current position."Should we be worried about those?"

Ruby did a double take between the two phenomena on the map. And then it finally hit her. "Holy shit! Topside, now!"

They both dashed back up the stairs and through the building's entryway just in time to see no less than three Fallen Skiffs roaring overhead, their combined masses temporarily blocking out the sun. Weiss shouted something, which was impossible to hear over the engines of the Skiffs. "What?" Ruby shouted.

"The Mothyards!" Weiss screamed back. "They're headed for the Mothyards!"

Ruby's Psi Umbra was already in her hands. "Sparrow up!"

Weiss's Sparrow was transmatted into being before Ruby's command was finished. Weiss took the pilot seat and Ruby piled in behind her. "Punch it!"

And they sped off from the spot, hot on the trail of the shadows cast by the great machines they were chasing. Weiss's command of the Sparrow, as previously demonstrated during their initiation mission, was as masterful as ever, given the uneven landscape around them. As they crossed into The Mothyards, there was a great dip, a ravine, separating the two landmasses. Weiss's hands never left the throttle as she dropped into the ravine and rocketed up the natural path on the opposite side.

As their itinerary rushed up to meet them, they noticed that one of the Skiffs had stopped just above the surface and was currently unloading troops upon the ground. The platoon of Fallen warriors formed a tight perimeter around some kind of device at their center. Whatever it was, they were charged with protecting it, which meant Ruby had to do her best in blowing it up.

"Weiss, listen," Ruby began formulating her plan as fast as the Sparrow was moving. "Drive around them in circles, confuse them!"

"What?" Weiss said.

"Just don't stop moving!"

Weiss approached the gang of Fallen at top speed. The creatures in question saw their blatant approach and opened fire with their Arc weaponry. As per Ruby's order, Weiss drove a wide berth around them, counter clockwise as Ruby rained fire on them with her Psi Umbra. Despite being in constant motion, Ruby's accuracy was nigh infallible as she felled the greater part of their contingent. "Time to clean 'em up!" And Ruby then jumped unceremoniously from the back of the Sparrow, activating her Arc Blade Super before she even hit the ground. The remaining Fallen, reeling from the losses in their ranks, could do little to stop an Arc-charged Blade Dancer from cleaving their faces in two. The Dregs were soon reduced to ashes as Zwei called out a potentially more dangerous target. "Vandal at your six, he's a Reaver, be careful!"

"Not a problem," Ruby smirked. And she was right, said Reaver Vandal would not have been a problem...if her Arc Blade hadn't expired at that precise moment. "Oh Crap!" Still in forward motion, Ruby performed a deft tumble in the Reaver's direction, said maneuver allowing her to evade it's initial strike. But funny thing about Fallen though... is that they have four arms; the Vandal's follow-up uppercut caught Ruby smack in the face, completely separating her from her senses. Sprawled out on her back now, she could only look on in a daze as the Vandal moved in for the finishing blow. "Ruby, get up!" Zwei shouted in her head. But Ruby was still too stunned to coordinated her limbs quickly. The Vandal raised its cutlass to strike...and then was blasted into The Void.

Weiss had rushed to the scene, having disintegrated the creature with a withering life drain attack from her palm. The girls' eyes were alive with purple Void light as they rounded on Ruby. Weiss stood there for just a moment, staring at her with her eerily beautiful Void-infused gaze, she then broke out with, "You are so childish..." Ruby could only stare back in abashed silence. "And dim-witted, and hyper-active." Weiss shook her head then. "And don't even get me started on your fighting style..." She relented a bit as she went into a spell of self-admonishment. "And I suppose that I can be...difficult." Weiss extended her hand to Ruby then, who took it and let Weiss pull her to her feet. "But if we're going to do this, then we need to do it together."

Ruby stared at the ground. "I just want you to know I can do this..." she said quietly.

Weiss smiled. "You're fine, Liebchen,"

Weiss turned back to the strange Fallen machine as Ruby brushed some dirt from her knees. Windig was busy washing the device in the light of her blue scanning beam. "I see now," she said upon her scan's completion. "This machine...it is a drill."

"A drill huh...?" Ruby mused. "What do you think they were digging for?"

"Can't say,"Windig said back. "Seeing as they never finished, there's no telling what they were after."

Weiss's eyes had locked onto another detail that graced the machine. "Windig, did yo get a look at that insignia?"

"I did," she said. "This machine apparently belongs to the Fallen House of Truth."

"So that's who we're fighting, the House of Truth..." Ruby's eyes narrowed with her declaration. The lids over said eyes soon sprung open to their full dilation as Ruby picked up on a somewhat distant sound; another Skiff entering their vicinity. Said ship made a direct beeline for their previous location. "They're going back to the steppes!" Ruby shouted.

In no time the two were mounted up, but Weiss swiveled the vehicle around to face the Fallen machine. With a sweep of her arm did she cast her Scatter Grenade at it it. The initial impact burned a hole right through the shell of the thing, and as the Void munitions exploded, they ignited the drill's main power source, sending the whole thing up in a cloud of smoke. "Nice." Ruby said. She raised her pulse rifle, now gun it back to the steppes!"

Weiss took off in the direction from which they came, her auto rifle primed in her right hand as she throttled the Sparrow with her left. As they rounded the last corner and came into visual range of their itinerary, Weiss's hand left the throttle and the Sparrow glided to a stop. "Great Traveler above..." she breathed.

As it was, there were no less than five Fallen Skiffs in the area now, each of then unloading a squadron of troops upon the landscape; flocks of dregs; hoards of Vandals and Shanks; and a high-ranking Captain to lord over all of them. Ruby herself had never seen such a massively coordinated Fallen effort before. Whatever they were after here must be incredibly valuable if they were committing this many forces to it.

Both of the girls, momentarily dumbfounded by the size of the contingent they now faced, did not see the Vandal sniper readying its rifle in their direction. The wire of Arc energy it fired found its home in Weiss's abdomen; she cried out gutturally in surprised agony. Ruby tackled Weiss to the ground, barely avoiding a second shot that whizzed right by the girl's head. They took cover behind a service building as Ruby looked over Weiss's injury. The Arc projectile had burned a hole through her combat shirt, and no doubt through the flesh underneath. Ruby was far from worried however, as she watched Weiss, whose eyes were shut tight in a pained grimace just moments before, activate her Warlock healing factor. And in mere seconds was the girl free from pain, almost like the wound never happened.

Now alert and pain-free did Weiss lock eyes with Ruby. "Ruby, we cannot take this many, not on our own!"

"I know," she concurred. Ruby's pride took a hit in admitting that fact. She was supposed to be the leader; the one who charged fearlessly into battle regardless of the odds that faced them. But with the Fallen's numbers, and their team down a member, she had no choice but to call for backup.

Ruby activated her scroll and tapped into The Tower's multi-channel uplink. "This is Ruby Rose of Fireteam Rosenkreuz, requesting immediate reinforcements to our position!" She waited just a second for a response, but none came. "Repeat: this is Ruby Rose of Fireteam Rosenkreuz-"

"This is Coco Adel of Fireteam Coco, on station, ready to assist!"

"Lock on to these coordinates and approach fast and low!"

"Copy. ETA damn quick!"

With help immanent, Ruby felt a new rush of courage within her. She primed her Calcutta-LR2. "Hold on, I have to avenge your honor real quick." And in what seemed like a single movement, did Ruby round the corner of the building, set the stock to her shoulder, and pull the trigger of her rifle. Two-hundred yards away, did the life of a Vandal come to a swift end. "Done." Ruby said. She then swapped to her Psi Umbra. "Ready to make some noise?" She asked mischievously to Weiss.

The Warlock rocked the action on her Darius-B machine gun. "Let's," was her answer.

Ruby nodded. "When team Coco comes in from orbit, that's when we make our move."

They did not have to wait long for this stratospheric signal. A formation of three Guardian gunships roared onto the scene. Their sudden appearance having exactly the effect on their enemies that Ruby had hoped for; drawing their attention skyward, as to open their attack window. "Go!"

Ruby hurled a long-distance Arc Bolt grenade into the rabble, this electrocuting a fair number of Vandals and serving to strip the Arc shielding from a nearby captain. Ruby and Weiss opened up with coordinated fire onto their masses. But this particular group of Fallen warriors proved to be a far sight more cunning than the others. The Captains barked orders to their troops as they fortified their ranks with proper positioning.

A flurry of shrapnel and Arc bullets was launched in their direction, forcing Rosenkreuz to break off their full frontal assault. This however, mattered very little, as another assault altogether soon befell The Fallen.

Two of Team Coco's gunships approached the scene, and from there on high, were their occupants transmatted towards the ground. One appeared as no more than a electric blue streak; a meteor headed strait for the earth. Ruby remembered one of their members being a Titan...a Striker... "Incoming!" Ruby shouted. The Striker then collided with the earth with a positively cataclysmic explosion of Arc energy. Everything within a fifty yard radius was rattled to the bone by the ensuing seismic upheaval, or obliterated altogether by the flare of violent lightning. And there, in the epicenter of the electric aftershocks, stood Yatsuhashi Daichi. He espied Rosenkreuz across the space and gave them a small nod of acknowledgment. His teammate, Fox, then glided down rather gracefully at his side. He then cast his titanic teammate a look that said 'showoff'.

Yatsuhashi rolled his head about his shoulders, loosening and cracking the vertebrae in his neck. He then materialized from transmat a sword of rather absurd size, very becoming for it's larger than life wielder. It was a blade worthy of a Titan; The Crown Splitter. "Shall we, partner?" He asked Fox.

In answer, Fox transmatted into being, what looked to the untrained eye, like a real junker of a shotgun, but Ruby, and anyone else with a trained eye, would of course know better. Fox then enacted something that Ruby had never seen a Void Walker do before. In his outstretched hand did Fox focus what looked to be a cluster of Void energy, possibly a grenade of some sort. But rather than loose it upon his enemies, did Fox swiftly close his hand around it, absorbing the energy into his being. His whole body shimmering with an aura of purple Void Light, did he launch himself into the fray. Ruby and Weiss followed suit.

The ensuing battle was long and grand. Though the Fallen were taking heavy losses to their ranks, their tenacity never wavered; they fought with a dire doggedness that saw the Guardians needing more than a few resurrections on their side.

Her Void energy peaked, did Weiss launch a Nova Bomb nearly point blank into the body of a Reaver Captain. The stalwart alien fighter, protected partly by it's shielding, somehow managed to endure this impact. Weiss stood firm however, her eyes glowing with Void Light, did she then launch a Vortex Grenade into the swirling singularity left by the Nova Bomb. The Captain inside now caught in a maelstrom of corrosive Void particles cried in agony as Weiss showed no relent; her mind rapt with focus as she mentally maintained both Void phenomena; Vortex Mastery. Fox, seeing this display, gave Weiss a nod of approval.

And then with a final effort (and a series missile salvos from Coco's ship) did the Guardians repel the last of the Fallen forces. The Guardians rendezvoused in the center of the field, amidst the fresh chaos of Fallen corpses and scorched landscape. "Thanks so much," Ruby said. "You guys were amazing!"

"Just doing our duty, Rosenkreuz," Yatsuhashi said with an incline of his head.

Ruby looked over their persons, realizing that Fireteam Coco was missing their namesake member. "Where's Coco?"

Yatsuhashi pointed upwards, at the Quite Content Damsel that was currently hovering above the scene. "She's in the air."

"Still?" Ruby said.

Just then, as though summoned by the sound of her name, did Coco Adel appear out of transmatt before them. She looked over her team members, as though appraising for any bodily damage. Upon finding none, did she express her congratulations. "Nice hustle Fox. Good job." She offered this congratulatory statement along with a firm open-hand slap on the man's bottom. She then subjected the two members of Rosenkreuz before her with this same intense but approving stare. "Pretty good, rookies," she said.

Ruby offered the Hunter Salute at this praise. "Thank you, ma'am," she said. "It's kind of lucky that you responded as fast as you did."

Coco nodded at this. "We just so happened to be in the area; this is the third time this month The Fallen have come hard at this place." She pushed her sunglasses up a little higher on her nose. "I'll see if I can get Cayde to post some Hunters here long-term; might help us out."

Coco then clicked into professional mode. "Consider your patrol a success, Rosenkreuz. Head on home now, we'll take it from here."

Ruby nodded at this and offered another Hunter Salute. "Take us up, Weiss."

"Yes, captain," Weiss said in compliance. And the two were transmatted from the spot, back to Weiss's Javelin that would fly them back to The Tower.

...

James Ironwood sat behind his large mahogany desk, his head rested on his overlapped hands in a state of somewhat agitated expectancy. Said agitation was soon relived by a knock on his office's door. He had no doubt as to who it could be. "Enter," he said simply. The door swung open and in walked the three members of his recently deployed Fireteam. "Vector," Ironwood said in greeting. "I take it you were successful at your appointed task?"

Jr. nodded at this. "Yeah..." he answered slowly. "But I don't feel good about it."

"It was unfortunate, yes, but said measures were necessary," Ironwood said. "Since Schnee refused to listen to reason, we had no choice but to exercise force."

Jr. flashed a grin. "Tell ya what, next time I meet Littner, I'd rather beat her up in another way, if you know what I mean."

Ironwood did his best to suppress the smirk that particular statement brought to his face. "As it stands, given the success of your mission, you will all be rewarded a level purple engram; you'll find it in your vaults."

"So what's next, boss?" Jr. said.

"Remain on call as we continue preparation for the Vex contingency plan," was Ironwood's answer.

"Sir," Ziggy said. "Is it true that you have The Night Witches on our side for this?"

"Just about," was Ironwood's response. "We are...finalizing negotiations as we speak."

The answer was as satisfactory as it was going to get for any of them. "Let's head out guys," Jr. said to his team. As Chaos and Ziggy filed out, Jr. made to follow suit. But as his hand rested on the doorknob, he turned around again, as though compelled, and scanned the room, brows furrowed over squinted eyes.

Ironwood caught this. "Gaignun?" He addressed in question.

Jr. shook his head, as though dismissing, or maybe acknowledging the relative foolishness of his impulse. "Nothin' " he said, and closed the door behind him.

Left alone, Ironwood clasped his hands behind his back and simply contemplated the situation. Said contemplation was soon broken by a rough and familiar voice. "Not bad...he actually almost saw me..."

And right there, in a chair that stood before the office's large coffee table, did a certain Hunter drop his camo, rendering himself visible once again. His posture in said chair was quite languid; one arm dangled over it's back, and his feet propped up on the surface of the table, causing the chair to rock backwards on its rear legs.

"As I've told you before, Qrow, my Guardians are quite talented," Ironwood said somewhat supremely. He locked eyes with the legendary Blade Dancer that sat before him. "So, where were we?"

Qrow gave the glass in his hand a few swills, causing the ice cubes inside to clink audibly. "Finishing up our negotiations, to hear you say it," he drawled.

Ironwood nodded. "So with that said, can your help be counted on?"

Qrow chuckled throatily. "If the price is right."

"The price has already been laid out," Ironwood said. "And holding out for more will see you ending up with nothing."

Qrow smiled rather wickedly at that. "C'mon James, how long have you known me?"

"Long enough to know exactly how you work," Ironwood said bluntly. "So is it a yes or a no?"

Qrow contemplated this rather playfully. He turned his his eyes to the far corner of the room. "What do you think, sis?"

Ironwood turned his gaze in the same direction as Qrow's and was beyond startled to find that there was indeed a third occupant in the room. 'Good Traveler! Was she there the whole time!?' was his initially panicked thought.

"It doesn't matter what I think, little brother," said Raven Branwen. "You're the leader; we go at your word." She said this as she crossed the room to the window, the high heels of her boots click-clacking as she went.

Having recovered from the jarring suddenness of her appearance, Ironwood found himself jarred for a whole other reason. He thought to himself, and he was sure that no other man would deny, That Raven Branwen was a stunningly beautiful woman: Her skin, while only being visible on her face and neck, as the rest of her form was covered in various garments of armor dress, was a flawless alabaster white, this starkly contrasted by her feathered two-tone hair, it's primary color being as black as the corvus of her namesake. James found himself somewhat entranced by the direct and challenging stare from the woman's blood-red eyes. By this time he had also taken note of the sword strapped across her back. He recognized it as one of the blades of legend; one of a trio of one of a kind swords crafted from ancient magic and modern technology. It was the Dark Drinker, The Blade of The Void.

Her trek across the room complete, did Raven take up station at the office's window, looking out onto the red dunes of Mars below them. "Quite honestly, I'm surprised at you James," she said. "All your years have made you soft. The James Ironwood I remember wouldn't wait around for a situation to develop and then turn around and ask for help. He would charge in feet first, guns blazing, and wouldn't take no for an answer. And now look at you, worrying away the hours here in your comfy little office..." a smirk formed on her face then, accompanied by a disbelieving shake of her head. "Oh how things have changed."

Ironwood adjusted his stance then, drawing himself up to his full height. "Many things have indeed changed over the years," he began. "And the passage of time has taught me a few things. The art of war has evolved, it's no longer as simple as-"

"-War," Raven scoffed. "War never changes. No matter who or what you fight it against. The equation's always the same; you against them, and the stronger side will always win...that being us of course." She tuned her gaze out the window again. "But none of that really matters though. Like I said from the start, it's all up Qrow."

Ironwood then deferred to the man in question. "So, is it a yes, or a no?" He asked simply.

Qrow stood up himself, as to better meet Ironwood's gaze. "Considering what's on offer, and what's at stake...you got yourself a deal."

James and Qrow shared a firm handshake, sealing the deal. "Excellent. I will begin final preparations shortly."

"Holler when you're ready," Qrow said. And without another word did he turn and leave the office, closing the door behind him.

Ironwood then turned to Raven. "Miss Branwen, I would like to-" his sentence died abruptly as he realized that he was talking to thin air; Raven was simply gone from the room without a trace. James resumed his seat behind his desk then, as he abashedly recalled a saying about the Guardians he was dealing with. 'The Night Witches: Undetected, Stealth Perfected'. He stared into the distance then. "We may have a chance at winning this after all," he said.

...

*End of Legend 17*

...

A/N:

Good lord, another ten-month absence between chapter posts. Well it hasn't actually been that long, but damn does it feel like it! I'm real sorry about keeping you all waiting like this; (as if you simply wait huddled by your computers for a story update, lol) but as you probably already know, my written pattern is absurdly inconsistent. I don't want you all thinking that I abandoned the story or anything, far from it. It just takes a little bit to get the old synapses a-firin' and what not.

Procrastination aside, I would like to kindly thank all those who gave my content a read, and especially thank those who faved, followed, and reviewed. With all the RWBY fics on this site, I'm greatly honored that you at least gave mine a try. So until next time...

-B. D. Skunkworks

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P. S.

-I know I shouldn't leave it to my readers to proofread my story, but do kindly point any spelling or grammatical errors you may find. I never see the damn things until after I post the chapters...