The training room smelled like sweat and tears and was filled with the sound of practice pikes smacking together along with pained grunts. A quick turn of Weiss' head to the right helped her to avoid a stab from a practice pike. She went back on the offensive, using her own in an overhead strike. A strike from one of them, while it wouldn't kill like a force pike, would leave a nice bruise if they made contact with enough force. Her opponent, a girl with light rose-colored hair and gray-blue eyes, barely managed to raise her own pike to block Weiss. The white-haired girl narrowed her eyes when her opponent gave her a lazy smirk.
Weiss struck again before the girl could recover, with another hard stab. The girl hardened her stance, allowing Weiss's leg to strike. She kicked the girl in the side, forcing out the air in her lungs and onto the ground. She took several deep breaths and was about to raise her pike when Weiss placed her own beside the taller girl's neck.
"Do you yield?" Weiss said, her tone arrogant. She wasn't the biggest fan of pikes, but enough practice made them feel as easy as a sword or blaster. Plus they did give her better reach than a sword, so they at least had that going for them.
May rolled her eyes and dropped the pike on the ground, holding her hands in the air. "I yield."
Weiss gave her a smirk and removed the pike from its spot. Her white and gray cadet uniform was coated in sweat now, she'd been training since she woke up, and classes wouldn't start until the end of the week. Sure she could've used that time to take a quick visit back to Atlas, or do literally anything else, but Weiss wasn't in the mood to deal with Father or other people outside of the Academy. Not even Winter's holocall could shake Weiss from her fixation on making Father mad.
"Slendid." Weiss held out her hand, helping her fellow cadet to her feet. "It was a good match, May."
"Easy for you to say." May rolled one of her shoulders and stretched one of her arms. "I'm the one that has been getting beat all morning since you kept cheating." Weiss had won every round, of course, though she did allow May to strike her a few times in each match.
Weiss rolled her eyes as she made her way towards the weapon stands to store her pike. She needed to be in the best shape possible considering how brutal the Royal Imperial Academy here in the Imperial Center has been the past few years. Many cadets had dropped out, whether by choice, inadequate grades, or being forced to do so by the family of a well-connected cadet. A pair of loitering cadets backed away from the weapon rack the moment they noticed Weiss approaching. Another two were at the far side of the room, slowly practicing their forms.
There wasn't much to do for the cadets who decided to stay at the Academy during their short break outside of training and study.
"You know I'm better with a blaster anyways." May continued, placing her pike next to Weiss. The taller girl was a cadet in the stormtrooper track and was one of the best shots in their class from what Weiss had heard. Considering that they were both nobles, it was only natural that their social circles would gravitate towards each other.
"I'm sure you are." Weiss scoffed. She still had an image to uphold, of course, her Father was a Moff, and a rather important one at that. May's family belonged to a group of Tapani nobles, which instantly made her a favorite of Grand Admiral Octavian Grant. A connection like that would be useful in the future, provided they didn't cross each other first. Imperial politics could be cutthroat.
"I can prove it, let's go to the range-" May was interrupted by the sound of the training doors opening. Lieutenant Blaise had walked in, his well-groomed mustache hiding his sneer. All six cadets in the room, including May and Weiss, immediately stood at attention with a salute.
"Senior Cadet Schnee?" The Lieutenant drawled, his eyes drifting past each cadet until they landed on Weiss. He didn't like her, never had, and never will. A man his age should've been a higher rank with his own command, instead he ended up as an instructor at the Academy. Blaise favored the commoners that attended class, however rare they were here on Imperial Center. He clearly didn't appreciate that Weiss rose to the title of Senior Cadet by her own merits, and not by trying to throw her name around. Lieutenant Blaise was just like Father in that regard.
Weiss took a few steps forward and gave him another salute. "Senior Cadet Schnee, reporting for duty, sir!"
"Commandant Deenlark is requesting your presence, report to his office immediately-." Lieutenant Blaise wrinkled his nose, taking a short breath. "On second thought, hit the showers first."
Weiss knew she didn't smell that bad, but she appreciated the brief break she would have before meeting with the Commandant. A Schnee must always look their best after all, even when under fire. That was one of Winter's sayings, and arguably one of the few that even her father agreed with.
"Yes sir." Weiss made sure to keep her face impassive. It was easy, considering the years of politics she played with here at school, and her upbringing.
"Dismissed." Lieutenant Blaise turned on his heel and confidently left the training room. The rest of the cadets relaxed, returning to whatever they were doing before. The duo that had been standing beside the weapon's rack pulled out a deck of cards.
Weiss turned her head to give May a calculated grin. "It looks like our contest ends here for now." With Weiss proving herself victorious once again, it went unsaid.
"Yeah yeah." May waved her off, her bangs covering one of her eyes. That had been one of the reasons Weiss had gotten the upper hand during their spar earlier. "I'll beat you next time."
"Sure." Weiss started walking in the direction of the woman's showers, giving her acquaintance a wave over her shoulder. It was always good to at least be on friendly terms with her, after all, the Academy was where connections were made.
Now to find out what Commandant Deenlark needed her for.
Lieutenant Blaise was already in Commandant Deenlark's office by the time Weiss arrived, her back straight as she stood a foot behind her superior officer. She made sure her shower was as short as possible, Weiss didn't want to be late whenever she had to see the Imperial Royal Academy's headmaster. With her hair tied into a tight bun, and her uniform pressed and clean, she looked every bit of a future officer of the Imperial Navy.
"Senior Cadet Schnee." Commandant Deenlark said plainly. He kept his gaze focused on the datapad in his hands, not even bothering to look up. For some reason, it reminded her of her father, but not as disrespectful.
"Commandant Deenlark, sir." Weiss stood at attention, keeping her head at just the right angle, her hands folded behind her back.
Deenlark finally decided to look up, giving her a disinterested look. "In a few hours, new transfers from the other academies shall be arriving. You are to assist Lieutenant Blaise as the third-year Senior Cadet."
So, this was just going to be a waste of time. Why didn't they ask the other Senior Cadets like Coco or Yatsuhashi? Weiss had better things to do, like preparing for the semester and studying her notes from the previous year. Her mind and body needed to be in tip-top shape.
"After Lieutenant Blaise finishes his attendance you are to lead them to my office. Is that clear?" The Commandant spoke slowly as if she was stupid. His arrogance was understandable though.. He'd been in command of the Academy since the formation of the Empire, and all of the best and most famous officers graduated from here. Winter had already graduated from here a few years ago and spoke highly of the Commandant.
Weiss wished she had her sister's eyes because didn't see where the compliments should be coming from.
"Yes sir." This whole meeting was a waste of time and could've simply been a message on her datapad. Those third-year transfers would be nothing more than an annoyance; it'd take a miracle for them to survive six standard months at the Royal Imperial Academy. They would be pushed to the very end of their limits, physically and mentally. Not even the Cardian transfers had an easy time, and they were some of the best that came here.
"Good. The two of you are dismissed." Deenlark waved her off, turning back to his datapad. Weiss allowed her frown to show the moment she left his office.
Orders were orders after all. And good officers always followed orders.
"Seriously?" Coco raised an eyebrow, which was still visible despite the dark glasses she wore that hid her eyes. It was all the rage on the fashion scene, or so she claimed. Weiss didn't particularly see what was so cute about them, though they did seem useful if she was stuck on a sunny planet. The two were in the mess hall, poking at some calorie-dense slop the cook decided was edible. Still, it had to be better than what the enlisted ate.
"It's a waste of time, I know." Weiss sighed. It was hard making friends at the Imperial Center. There were plenty of politicians and scions of rich families, but not all of them were trustworthy. Parasites and leeches were everywhere, and at the Academy, most people stuck to those who were of similar ranks. And that was just in her general track, not counting the other branches. Interacting with the Army? She'd rather kiss a Wookie. Stormtroopers like May were technically acceptable in her eyes, by the skin of their teeth and due to them actually serving on ships.
Being the daughter of a Moff and a senator ensured that Weiss would remain near the top of the social ladder. Atlas was one of the richest planets in the Inner Rim, thanks to its mining and high technology-based industry, and with her family's long history, Weiss's social life was secured. Still, it could be lonely at times, Coco was one of the few true friends she had, and they had completely different schedules.
"It's probably a test." Coco shrugged. "Deenlark can't do anything to us without risking his position."
Weiss nodded slowly. "He wants to see how willing I am to follow orders, and waste my time."
"Bingo." Coco aimed her spoon at Weiss' face, the gray slop dripping off of the metal and onto her tray. "And it's not like you're doing anything since classes haven't even started yet."
Weiss' grimace was hard to get rid of. "I need more combat practice, especially if I'm going to beat a buckethead like you at the boxing tournament."
The Naval Corps Boxing tournament happened every year, and any cadet who wished to sign up could participate. Winter had participated when she attended the Academy and had taken home the first-place belt several times. Weiss always ranked, but so far the win still eluded her. She refused to acknowledge maybe it was due to her short stature. She just needed more training time if she was going to beat Yatsuhashi.
"That's future buckethead to you." Coco stuffed her spoon in her mouth and groaned. "It's still as nasty as I remember." The Fashionista had just returned from a vacation to Niamos, so her normally pale skin now with an evenly spread tan.
"It's not that bad." Weiss' defense was weak as she ate her own spoonful. Left unsaid was that the 'food' somehow managed to taste slimy and chewy at the same time, and would last for quite a while. With the amount of money donated to the Academy, Weiss knew they could afford better food, but she wasn't going to say that out loud. They were officers, after all, they deserved better food.
Coco's raised eyebrow returned. "And that's why Deenlark chose you to be his little tour guide." She mumbled under her breath.
"What?" Weiss narrowed her eyes, which made Coco laugh. The brunette shook her head from side to side with a large grin on her face.
"Nothing, don't worry about it." Coco looked past Weiss and raised her hand in the air to call someone over. "Velvet over here!"
Wonderful, Coco's near-human pet that was in the same Stormtrooper track. Weiss wasn't the biggest fan of non-humans, she lost count of how many times a near-human had tried assassinating her or her family, but she tolerated Velvet for Coco's sake. After all, she was one of the good ones who'd signed up to protect their glorious Empire, just like that one near-human Admiral who seemed to cause a scandal wherever he went. He must've had someone powerful backing him, considering how he had been getting promoted instead of demoted. Weiss unconsciously scooted a few inches to the right as Velvet sat next to her.
That was a bit too close, even for Velvet.
The worst part of assisting with the transfers was the sheer boredom that was inflicted upon Weiss's mind. Standing at attention was easy, she could've done it before even joining the Academy thanks to Winter, waiting for the third-year transfers to finally decide to show up instead of loitering on their transports was not. Lieutenant Blaise at least had his datapad to keep him entertained, while Weiss was forced to stand two feet away from him while other officers and cadets walked past.
"Third-year transfers, form up!" Lieutenant Blaise yelled, he must've gotten tired of waiting for them as well. So much for showing the initiative on their part. The landing platform, which was crowded with dozens of cadets in their gray and white uniforms and other officers from different branches of the military did not look like it was going to be empty anytime soon.
A dark-haired girl with amber eyes approached Lieutenant Blaise. Her uniform was clean and neatly pressed, with a black cadet kepi sitting on her head. She gave the Lieutenant a salute.
"Name?" Blaise looked down at his datapad.
"Cadet Blake Belladonna." Her shoulder patch had the symbol of the Stormtrooper Corps, a roaring Krayt Dragon; it matched the color of her kepi and looked like it blended into her hair. She looked just as bored as Weiss was.
"Cadet Belladonna." The Lieutenant mumbled, pressing a few buttons on his datapad, his tone as bored as Weiss felt. He had to do this every year. "Welcome to the Royal Imperial Academy. Form a second line in front of Senior Cadet Schnee. We will move out shortly."
"Yes sir." Cadet Belladonna gave him one last salute before adjusting her bag which hung over her shoulder. Weiss gave her a bored stare since the new cadet was the only other one in line so far.
She stared back with an impassive look etched on her tanned skin. The way Cadet Belladonna spoke showed that she was educated, but with her face like a rock, it was hard for Weiss to get a good read on her. That rarely happened. Weiss would have to keep an eye on her, if she lasted long, that is.
The rest of the transfers slowly started to arrive, forming a short line in of the Lieutenant, including a tall blonde with her unkempt, yet perfectly filled uniform. She looked like she was going to be popular amongst the male cadets, and a few of the girls. A shorter girl with black hair and red tips stood beside her, looking like she was about to vomit. Well, she was obviously going to be the first of this batch to drop out. She looked younger than the rest of them, but she was still slightly taller than Weiss.
The white-haired girl glared at them whenever they got a bit too loud, this wasn't a normal Academy, they needed to be professional. The line in front of Lieutenant Blaise grew shorter and shorter while Weiss continued to grow. Eventually, it was the short-haired girl's turn.
"Name?" Weiss had heard that word so many times, that she had already lost count. Lieutenant Blaise's voice was still bored. He looked like he was ready for retirement.
"Cadet Ruby Rose, sir!" Cadet Rose gave him a sharp salute, her silver eyes full of energy. Weiss rolled her own, she sounded annoying. Well, at least Cadet Rose wasn't going to be her problem, she wasn't going to be here that long.
The Academy was going to eat her alive.
After being dismissed by Commandant Deenlark, which was something Weiss was thankful for since she really didn't want to show the transfer around, Weiss made her way back to her bunk to rest. She didn't bother changing out of her uniform as she laid back on her bed, it had been a long day. Weiss wasn't going to have much time to rest once classes started in full. She was a future officer of the Imperial Navy, set to graduate as an Ensign as the first step of her career.
Weiss took a deep breath as she sat up, keeping her back straight. Maybe she should head over to the shooting range and take up May on her offer? That would be the best use of her time. She'd work on her own connections, and practice with a blaster. And try not to imagine some faces on the heads of the targets, like Cardin from the Stormtrooper track.
The door to her bunk room suddenly slid open. Who was it? The others weren't scheduled to get here until tomorrow. Weiss turned her head, her eyes widening in surprise until they turned into a glare.
"Cadet Ruby Rose reporting for duty!" The young transfer cadet from earlier was standing in Weiss' room.
"What are you doing here?" Weiss demanded, standing up and straightening her uniform. She had an example to set as a Senior Cadet.
"Senior Cadet Schnee!" Cadet Rose's accent was terrible, sounding as if she came from the Outer Rim. "I'm uh, reporting to my new bunk." She held her datapad out while her free hand held her bag.
"I wasn't informed of this." Weiss' glare never disappeared as she snatched the datapad out of the younger cadet's hand. She pressed her lips together as she read, confirming Cadet Rose's words. This was one of Hark's plots, wasn't it? The old Commander had been spurned by Winter when she had been a cadet and seemed to have it out for Weiss, doing his best to try and humiliate her. She handed the datapad back. "Very well."
Cadet Rose quickly took it back and gave her a small smile. She had an engineering symbol alongside her Naval patch. At least she's not going to be on the same track as Weiss. Let her rot with the other nerds down below the bridge. "It's nice to meet you Senior Cadet Schnee!"
She was going to regret saying that in a few weeks once the backworld yodel dropped out of the Royal Imperial Academy. Weiss's glare turned into a disinterested look; it wasn't going to be worth getting to know her. Sadly, the only bunk that was available was the one above Weiss' bed, but that would be okay.
Cadet Rose wasn't going to last long, and Weiss wasn't even going to need to lift a finger to make sure that happened. Their fellow cadets and instructors were going to ensure that happened. And even if she did somehow make it, she was Engineering, they didn't interact at all with Command, unless it was to instruct them to repair their ship. All Weiss had to do was finish up her tour at the Academy, and odds are she'll never cross paths with Cadet Rose again.
"The other two bunks are taken," Weiss said, her voice neutral. She motioned towards the bunk on top of her own. "This is the only free one, and please, don't talk in your sleep." The last person who slept there dropped out after a week of physical and mental anguish.
Cadet Rose's smile disappeared, replaced by a confused frown. The younger girl, how had she even managed to get accepted into the Academy at such a young age, Weiss would never know, quickly recovered and reformed her smile with a sharp salute.
"I don't, Senior Cadet, don't worry!" Cadet Rose moved to unpack her belongings in the second trunk at the foot of their bunk. Weiss scoffed as she made her way to exit their room, keen on shooting some targets with May.
She wasn't worried, not one bit.
A/N
Much thanks to Night Stalker and MambaKingGhidorah, this story wouldn't have been possible without them.
Journey Through The Stars will use a mixture of Disney and EU Legends canon.