Legend 39

-Class Act PT.1-

…

"Mommy…"

Fallen Vandals pursued Summer Rose with tireless vigor.

"Mommy, run!"

They raised their weapons to strike.

"Mommy!"

The blood of The White Witch stained the snow crimson.

"MOMMY!"

Ruby launched herself into consciousness, her partner sitting in helpless worry here on the other side of sleep. Ruby pulled the sleep mask from her face, tossing it over the edge of the bed.

"Ruby…" Weiss's moan of her lover's name was without voice, only the air used to make the sound. Weiss then discarded the satin sheets they were sharing, as to better cradle the distressed Hunter in her arms.

Ruby hugged her around the waist, falling back into the plush bedding, pulling Weiss down with her.

Half atop her, did Weiss drape a long and bare leg over Ruby's own, her hand idly brushing Ruby's then unruly bangs from her face. "You were...having a nightmare?"

Ruby nodded into Weiss's neck. "Es tut mir Leid, Liebchen…" Her first words since waking.

Weiss kissed Ruby's forehead; her cheek; her mouth. "You seemed in terrible distress. I was unsure if I should have tried waking you…"

Ruby beheld the striking and icy eyes of the girl she fell in love with. "It's alright," she said. Her smile, though wan, was genuine. "We should be up about now anyway. Big day today!"

"I'll say!" Said Zwei, popping out of Ruby's head. "The new rookies get shipped out for initiation today. We don't wanna miss the pairings; especially if we're chosen to be chaperons!"

"Too true." Weiss concurred. She looked down to Ruby. "Shower with me, my sweet."

"Will do." Ruby turned to her Ghost. "Zwei, stay here."

The Ghost "blushed", his optic flickering red. "Just uh...don't be too long, yeah girls? We have roughly ninety minutes to get to the Vanguard hall."

"Plenty of time," Weiss purred. She pulled a blushing Ruby out of the bed with her and the two made hand-in-hand for Weiss's bathroom.

"You two didn't didn't blow off enough steam, you know, last night?!"

This question was answered only with giggles and running water.

…

The Vanguard hall was alive with the familiar and nervous rabble of a young contingent of Guardian hopefuls. And ringing the landing above them, were the full-fledged Guardians, Ruby and her team among them.

"Man, feels like it was just yesterday when we were down there…" Yang said this with her eyes on the crowd of young soldiers below them.

"What a difference eight months makes." Ruby's statement ended with a smile, it blooming as Weiss hugged her around the waist from behind. She rested her head in the crook of Ruby's neck, humming a tuneless tune. With as much conviction as she could muster, did Ruby say: "Weiss, you're in the wrong mood. You should be getting ready to fight; you might get called on."

"You weren't saying that this morning…" Weiss hummed, kissing Ruby's neck.

Yang's gaze on the couple sidelong, did she make another observation below them. "Hey. The Speaker and Glynda aren't here…"

Indeed Ozpin and his right hand were quite absent, leaving the Titan and Hunter Vanguard captains to oversee proceedings.

"Hmmm...weird," Ruby mused.

Cayde-6 stepped forward then, his hands raised for attention. The hall fell silent.

"Alright punks-or uh... new people…" Cayde's speech sputtering slightly under a glare from Pyrrha. "Congratulations on graduating from BT." His glowing eyes fell on one recruit in particular. "Good going winning the combat round, Winchester."

A tall red-haired Striker in the crowed offered a Titan salute at this mention.

"If you're anything like your older brother...you won't do me proud."

Ruby then became privy to a conversation blooming among Team Cardinal just to her left.

"Wait, that's your little sister!?" Sky Lark said to his Captain.

Cardin nodded, pride glowing in his smile as he and his sister locked eyes across the space.

"She could crush my head with thighs like that…"

Cardin chuckled with superiority. "She takes body building really seriously."

"I'll say…" Russel Thrush said dreamily.

"Keep your hand cannon in your pants, Hunter," Cardin said. "Look sharp in case you're chosen."

"Now that he mentions it…" Yang mused, "Her armor...that's 'Errant Knight', isn't it?"

"Yeah it is," Ruby confirmed. "Don't know how a Titan shimmied into Hunter gear, but it looks good on her."

Weiss, still hugging Ruby from behind, bristled playfully. "Ruby, my darling. Are you looking at other girls?"

"Well, I mean…" Ruby stuttered into her speech. "It is Hunter gear she's wearing. I'm a Hunter, so I kinda…" She turned to face her girlfriend. "Hor auf. Ich gehore dir und keinem anderen."

Weiss smiled. "Too true."

Yang smiled with a silent laugh. "Look at you, speaking your girlfriend's tongue." She leaned in closer, so that only Ruby would hear. "Ni shenme shihou jiao ta woman de yuyan?"

"In time," Ruby giggled.

"...So when I call your name, step up and present yourself to myself and Nikos, and we'll decide what to do with you." From Cayde.

The Exo looked to his Scroll. "Winchester, Cordelia! Front and center!"

Cordelia cast a look to her brother upon the upper level. The two shared a Titan salute before Cordelia made her way forward.

"Alright. Titan, Striker Semblance…" He turned to Pyrrha. "Got anyone in mind, Nikos?"

The bronze-armored Titan smiled smugly. "Dragon, it's you!" she called.

Yang straightened her posture as she released a slow breath.

"You got it, Yang!" Ruby said. "Show 'em what Team Rosenkreuz can do!"

"You will represent us well, I am sure of it," from Weiss.

Yang nodded and made her way down from the landing. After offering a Titan salute to her Vanguard captain, she stood erect by her charge, awaiting their orders.

"Alright Dragon," Cayde said, "you and She-Hulk here are off to Luna. I take it you have some experience in that particular arena?"
"Do we ever!" said Yang's Ghost, now free from her head.

Cayde nodded. "As it happens, The Archers are having some trouble with those Hive monsters digging holes into The Moon. You two are gonna help The Archers push them back. Clear?"

"As day," from Cordelia.

"Roger that," from Yang.

"Alright. Next pairing!"

And Cayde went down his list, pairing off the rookies with superior Guardians.

A Lady Blade Dancer was called next. "Thrush, Russel. Look sharp!"

A Male Gunslinger next. "Zephyr, of Team Trinity, step up!"

A Male Warlock was called upon. "Yuna, The Sunslinger! Let's go!"

There was an appreciable pause before the next pairing. Cayde showed something on his Scroll to Pyrrha. There was an exchange of quiet words and nods between them. "Alright!" Cayde called. "Amitola, Ilia. Where you at?"

The crowd parted around a young Night Stalker as she made her way to the stage. Ruby took notice of her...rather vibrant skin tone. Was she blushing that hard? Or… "Aha…" from Ruby as the revelation fell into place in her mind.

"Got someone special in mind for you," Cayde said. "Belladonna, you're up!"

There was a moment's silence, in which said Guardian remained absent despite the call. And then…

Was there a plume of purple smoke from on stage, and the cat-eared Night Stalker made her appearance from it, her white cloak rustling.

There were 'ooohs' from the crowd of rookies.

Pyrrha offered her subordinate a nod of silent approval.

"Traveler, I love my Night Stalkers," Cayde said.

"Whoa…" Ruby sighed.

"Was?"

"I didn't even know Blake was in the room until now…"

"Alright, ladies, here's the skinny." Cayde poked about his Scroll. "You're staying right here on Earth, we've got Fallen on the move. Turns out, they're poking their noses around the Twilight gap again. I need covert eyes on their movements, as well as their commanders and anyone else out of the picture. So; take names, and then kick ass. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" from the two Night Stalkers.

The pairing continued.

A Lady Gunslinger. "Adel, you got this one!"

A Lady Defender. "Winchester, let's see what you got!"

"And now we have… Mercury-middle name I'm not gonna even attempt- Celica, come forward!"

A Warlock, maybe close to Ruby in age glided forward, her stylish cape trailing behind her. On the stage now did she present herself to the two Vanguard captain's with a lovely curtsy.

"Hmmm…"

"Was?" asked Ruby of her partner.

"I recognize that uniform," The Warlock mused.

Cayde then made a grand flourish of making his selection upon his Scroll. "And for our final pairing, we have…"

"Final pairing?" Zwei said in Ruby's head.

Ruby's lips tightened.

"...Snow White! Come on down, Princess."

Weiss drew herself up straight, Ruby doing so in sympathy. "Go on, liebchen. Do Rosenkreuz proud."

Weiss nodded resolutely, blushing slightly as Ruby kissed the back of her hand. She made down the stairs and joined her charge on the stage, the two Warlocks exchanging curtsies.

"Alright, Ladies, it's off to Mercury with you. You'll be rendezvousing with Team Mjollnir in the Boethius region. You'll be helping set up their patrol network out in those parts, as well as getting any info on, and destroying those Vex machines that have been settling in lately. All clear?"

"Crystal, sir," Said Celica.

Cayde then looked to the pairings at large. "Alright, you have your marching orders. Now get going; world's not gonna save itself!"

Ruby offered a Hunter salute in parting to her two teammates as the assembly filed from the hall. She sighed then, somewhat deflated. "No action for us then, huh?"

"Well, if you wanna blow off some steam, we can hit the Crucible. Rumble's hot right now."

Ruby nodded, her smirk coming alight. Crescent Rose in hand, did she transmat from the room.

…

"So I say to the guy: 'How are you gonna get the tank down to the planet?'…"

Nora's two teammates looked to her with perfunctory raptness.

"And he goes: 'I'll just put it on the ship.' And I go: 'If you have a ship that can carry a tank...why not put guns on the ship and use it instead? Ammiright?"

Dove's head bobbed shoulder to shoulder. "Well, how big was this tank exactly?"

Nora groaned. "Not the point!"

"And what kind of ship are we talking about anyway?" said Jaune. "Like a freighter? Or a cargo-"

"You know what...never mind," the Sunbreaker sighed theatrically. "We gotta stay sharp for the mission."

Dove nodded. "So, who will be joining us?"

"Someone from the Tower on Earth, along with their recruit," was Nora's answer. Her eyes were on the horizon, where the skyline met the Mercurian trees. "And unless I'm mistaken...ha! Here they come now."

What was no more than a mere pinprick upon Mercury's prominent Sun, soon grew into a roaring shadow, it headed straight for their position.

"Filigree Rover…" Jaune mused as the exotic ship settled near the surface. "Whoever they are, they got class."

"And Glimmer," from Dove.

The vehicle's two occupants were transmatted to the ground as the ship made off for orbit again.

A grin a mile wide split Nora's face as she beheld who was on approach. "Well I'll be! They sent us Schnee!"

"An angel more like…" Dove breathed.

Jaune cuffed his teammate on the shoulder, smirk firmly in place.

Weiss inclined her head at this recognition. "We meet again, die Frau. As teammates, rather than adversaries."

The two girls shook hands. "This is my charge, Celica A. Mercury."

"A pleasure to be working with you," said the young Void Walker, offering a Warlock salute to the group.

Nora motioned to her teammates. "These two knuckleheads are Jaune Arc, and Dove Bronzewing."

Jaune inclined his head. "This will go a lot more smoothly with high-quality help like this."

"Quite," Dove said, just a tad shakily.

"Now that we're all acquainted, let's get down to business." Nora grinned quite impishly then. "By the way Dove, Weiss does have eyes you know. And they're definitely not way down there."

Dove then corrected the trajectory of his gaze, meeting said eyes of the Warlock before him. "Indeed. Her eyes are quite beautiful too."

Weiss preened pridefully, flipping her long side-tied ponytail. "If you could be so good as to stay focused so we can move this along," she said slyly, crossing her legs over at the ankles.

Dove's lips tightened.

Nora took charge of the group. "Alright, listen up ladies. And Warlocks."

The girls giggled.

"We have two objectives here today. First: is to set our patrol network in this region." She turned to Celica. "Ever see one of these before, rookie?"

Nora's Ghost transmatted a bulky tubular object in her hands. Its end a sharpened point.

Celica stepped forward as she examined the thing. "A network beacon," she said. "Once activated, it should be able to receive transmissions, even from space."

"You got yourself a winner here, Schnee," Nora said.

Weiss nodded, beaming.

"So, we'll split into two units. I'll go with the girls due east. You boys head west. Three beacons per unit. We should be able to cover roughly twenty klicks if we place them strategically."

Nods of understanding all around.

"Alright, people, let's get to it!" Nora bellowed. "Sparrow up!"

Four of the nimble vehicles phased into existence at their riders' calls.

As Dove mounted his ride, did he remark on Weiss's elegant vehicle. "Traveler, even your Sparrow is gorgeous…"

Weiss preened with superiority as she walked to the opposite side of her custom unit. In a single and fluid movement of protracted intent, did she raise her right leg and straddle her vehicle. Celica then mounted behind her, did she say: "Just so you know, Herr Bronzewing. I am spoken for."

And with a wink, did she gun the engine, taking off over the plains.

"Better luck next time, lover boy!" Nora exclaimed, taking off after them.

Dove only shook his head, blushing his chagrin.

He and Jaune then took off in the opposite direction.

…

"So, this is The Moon…"

Cordelia Winchester spun slow circles on the spot, her eyes on the star-laden sky above them.

"I had the same reaction the first time, too," Yang said while priming her equipment. Her gaze then fell upon her charge. "So, another Winchester…" Yang set her hands on her hips, inquisitive smile in place. "So, what made you want to be a Guardian? Following in your big bro's footsteps?"

Cordelia grinned knowingly. "I was actually in training before Cardin," did she say. "But he whooped my butt something fierce in our BT course. So I was held back while he graduated to initiation at The Tower."

Yang nodded.

Cordelia then turned to look out on the Lunar horizon. "Is that the First Light base?" she asked, pointing to her itinerary.

Yang actually took a moment in answering. Simply because…

This girl's body looked fucking amazing in that armor…

Her back turned as it was, Yang had ample view of Cordelia's trim waist and powerful thighs. Not to mention that Errant Knight leg armor was working wonders for her butt…

"Focus, Sunny!" did Celica say in her head. "You're taken, remember?"

Yang cleared her throat quite audibly. "Yeah, but that's not where we're headed."

Cordelia nodded sideways. "We have to find The Archers, yeah?"

Yang smirk bloomed into being. "Oh, you don't find The Archers…"

Her shot gauntlets primed upon her wrists, did she launch a Solar round into the sky. It burst among the stars in spectacular fashion.

And not long after…

Did an enormous ship come roaring in from orbit.

"Holy hell!" Cordelia's vibrant red hair whipped about her face now in the turbulence of the ship's shadow.

"...The Archers find you!" Yang said.

Cordelia nodded in awe.

"Celica, transmat please."

And the two girls were materialized inside.

"Ah! They sent us the Dragon!"

Yang turned at this exclaimed greeting. "Hey, Elm. Looking at you looking good!"

The two Titans grasped one another's forearms in greeting.

"Your Light has grown since we last met, Dragon!" Elm roared heartily.

"That's not the only thing on me that's grown," Yang said, following her statement with a wink.

Elm then looked to Yang's charge. "Your recruit, I take it."

Cordelia stepped forward. "Yes ma'am. Cordelia Winchester, reporting for duty."

Elm's eyes ran a circuit over the young lady's body. "A Hunter then?"

"Uh, no ma'am. I'm a Striker."

Elm actually blinked several times, before bursting into bellowing laughter. "A Titan wearing Hunter's gear! Now I've truly seen it all!" Her eyes then fell upon her teammate. "It seems that Marrow approves of your accouterments…"

The young man in question started as he cleared his throat. "I was umm...just appreciating the...aerodynamic...flexibility that her armor provides…"

"I'm sure," said the room's new entrant. The Risk Runner folded her arms as she took in Cordelia's form. "I love that shader," she all but crooned. "Dawn and Dusk?"

A nod from Cordelia.

"I dig it."

"Yes, yes. We can all swoon over the pink Lady Titan at some other time. Right now, we have business to attend to."

The other Archers erected themselves into attention as The Pole Lancer entered the bay. His eyes then beheld Yang. "Well if it isn't my favorite fire-breathing Dragon!"

The two shook hands.

"Hope you girls are ready for action, cuz' we got a doozy."

"Bring it on," Yang said.

Clover tapped his earpiece. "Pocket Infinity, you there?"

"Pocket Infinity here. On station and ready to assist."

"Copy," Clover said. "Foehammer, Risk Runner, and Dusk Ranger have rendezvoused with Yang and her recruit and are ready to deploy."

"Oh, sweet! They sent us Yang!? This will be a cinch!"

"Glad to see you too, Pockets," Yang chuckled.

Cordelia leaned in to whisper to her chaperon. "Uh...do they all have nicknames or something?"

"Code names," Yang confirmed. "They have the same semblances as Guardians, but use different names for them."

"Oh. So they're...not Guardians?"

"Powerful Light Bearers, but without Ghosts."

"I see…"

Clover took command of the group. "Foehammer, take the reigns. Get us where we're going."

Elm made for the control chair as everyone readied their gear.

The Moonsong took off across the Lunar sky as Fiona debriefed the group.

"We've had major Hive activity across Luna as recent as twenty-three hours ago. They're digging in something fierce around Mare Cognitum. We have to figure out why."

"And then expel them with extreme prejudice," said Harriet.

"We have visual," from Elm up front.

The others gathered around to check the view from the bay window.

"Traveler above…" Yang breathed.

The ship was now approaching an immense crater dug by their new enemies; as great in its depth as it was in its width.

"That's not a hole, that's a fucking canyon!" Cordelia exclaimed.

"We've taken to calling it, 'The Hellmouth'," said Fiona. "Not really sure how deep it goes exactly, but now's a good as time as any to find out."

Clover nodded, the motion perpetual. "Elm, get us directly overhead."

Elm positioned their ship over what she guessed was dead center of the massive cavity.

"Let's get moving," Fiona said. "Foehammer, here are coordinates and a flight plan I worked up."

Elm looked over the data. "Uh...Pockets? These coordinates are underground!"

"I've done a thorough seismic scan," The Faunus said back. "My analysis shows that Luna is honeycombed with tunnels that all splinter off from the Hellmouth. This is their central hub, as it were."

"I hope your analysis is on the money, Fiona. The Moonsong won't turn on a dime!"

Fiona's clever laughter echoed through the comms. "Look on the bright side, Foehammer. The last thing The Hive will expect is an aerial insertion...from underground."

"She's not wrong," Harriet said.

A somewhat tense laugh rumbled through the group as The Moonsong crossed the Hellmouth's event horizon.

"And so we go down…" Yang breathed.

…..

"All I'm saying is that Lady has legs and more than knows how to use them."

Dove spoke this conversational observation at top speed as he and his partner made haste over the grasslands of Mercury.

"And she definitely knows what she's doing with that dress of hers. If it's even a combat skirt. Looks more like something she'd wear around the manor."

Jaune's smile was lost to the wind, but not on his partner. "Yeah, Weiss Schnee is absolutely breath-taking, but we gotta stay focused. We got a job to do, remember?"

"Don't let Neo hear you say that!"

"Say what? About me doing my job?"

"Oh, look at you boys. Arguing over a girl." Said Jaune's Ghost. "If you'd be so kind as to retard your velocity; the first beacon point is approaching."

"Thank you, Magdalene," Jaune said.

The two cruised up to a volcanic rock formation, at the base of a small cluster of mountains forming a sheer cliff.

They dismounted their Sparrows.

"Dove, cover me as I sort this thing out."

Dove primed his shotgun as Jaune fussed about the beacon in his hands.

"On the bottom, there," said Magdalene.

Jaune found the minuscule button to power the thing on. It humming in his hands, did he stake it into the ground at the rock formation's base. "Got it," he said. "Channel's clear and broadcasting wide-band."

Dove looked over his shoulder. "Two to go."

Jaune nodded. "Magdalene, any sign of The Vex?"

The Ghost let out a series of contemplative beeps before answering. "Not immediately. But I am picking up activity roughly five clicks further out."

Jaune and Dove shared a look.

"That's all we need to know." Jaune mounted his Sparrow, auto rifle held high. "Dove, prepare for possible engagement of hostiles."

The Sentinel sneered. "About time this got interesting!"

And they took off to the second beacon site.

…

"You all are not gonna believe what I'm picking up…"

Celica's voice was but a whisper as the group of six Light Bearers moved slowly through the tunnels dug into Luna's depths.

"What is it?" Yang's whisper was intense as she kept her body on a swivel.

"Fallen. In the next room over…"

"The Fallen are down here-fuck!" Harriet's question ended with an exclaimed swear as she stumbled over a rock. The group was plodding along in near darkness as Yang instructed her Ghost to keep his forward light off in an attempt to preserve what little stealth they still had after their grand aerial entrance. "Dusk Ranger, can you not see in the dark? Maybe you should be point."

"Not that kind of Faunus," was Marrow's response. "Shit, I might be worse off than you are- oh, sorry rookie."

Cordelia shrugged off the muzzle of his weapon prodding her back.

"Single file people; line astern," came from Clover.

Their formation amended, did they traverse the darkened width of the Hive- dug halls. At its end, did they find the room Celica alluded to earlier.

"How about that. Light…" Elm said dubiously.

"And look…" Cordelia pointed to the room's center, where the scattered and shattered remains of an Eliksni squadron littered the space.

Clover let out a whistle as he and his unit closed in to investigate, weapons held high.

"They're must have been some battle…" Marrow said.

"A massacre, more like," from Elm.

Harriet, eyes narrowed in her curious and morbid observation, knelt down to behold more closely the mangled body of a Captain. "Does anyone else see this?"

"What?"

"These wounds…" she pondered. "They're not typical…"

"Of what, ballistics?" Clover asked.

Yang took a closer look. "What is that? Maybe Void burn?"

"Yeah, maybe there was an accident. Like friendly fire or something?" Cordelia offered.

Marrow shook his head. "Fallen don't use Void energy."

Harriet gently prodded the dead Captain's body. "It's like...something scrambled it's insides…"

She wedged her hands under its dead weight and lifted it slightly, eliciting a cringe from the rest of the group. "It's like...something got inside this thing and pulled its skull right out of its head…"

"That doesn't seem physically possible…" Cordelia moaned.

Clover expelled a breath. "Well, at any rate, we should…" he let his sentence trail as he noticed a change in one of his unit's demeanor. "What is it, Dusk Ranger?"

The Faunus Hunter had gone stock still, his only movement then his eyes that combed the chiseled rock walls and ceiling.

"Marrow, what-"

He held up a hand. "Listen…"

The group formed up, back-to-back.

Yang shook out her wrists, extending her shot-gauntlets fully as her Solar Light peaked. "I hear it too…" she whispered.

"Something's in the fucking walls," Risk Runner breathed.

Their weapons combed the air as the noise around them intensified.

"Where's that coming from, Marrow!"

"Everywhere!" was the answer.

"Look!" Cordelia shouted.

A section of the rock wall at the chamber's front collapsed violently, and from this newly made aperture, did there spill a swarm of bony and ravenous Hive Thralls, their jaws thirsting for the Light of their enemies.

The warriors of Light turned to meet this threat as one.

"WEAPONS FREE!" exploded from Clover.

And their battle began.

…

-End of Legend 39-

….

A/N:

Oh yea, it's the ye old two-parter. I felt like this was getting a little long, so I'll be splitting it up. No more to add other than a thank you for giving my content a read. And, if you did like what you read, a favorite, follow, or review would be most appreciated. If you didn't like what you read, I thank you for reading this long. See you in the next chapter.

-B.D. Skunkworks