A/N: RWBY friends! HOW ARE WE FEELING!?

I'll quote the mighty James Hetfield: "ARE YOU ALIVE?! HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE ALIVE!?"

It's so great that RWBY has a home with VIZ, and I cannot wait to see what the future brings; did anyone catch that AWESOME concept art?!

THIS IS THE DAY WE WAITED FOR!

A quick lore drop for this AU. Remnant has already seen one world war (fought with WW2 technology), RWBY is involved in it's second world war, or hereafter, the Second Continental War.

Speaking of our favorite girls (if I did my calculations correctly) Ruby is about 21, putting Weiss, Blake and Yang around 23.

Chapter 2: A Brief Respite

Ruby tapped the video call icon on her phone and let it ring, two dial tones passed before her mother answered the call.

"Ruby! Oh thank God! We were getting concerned!" said Summer Rose when her image appeared on the screen.

Ruby rubbed the back of her head "Hey mom! Sorry I haven't called in a bit, we've just been really busy these past couple of months. Just got back last night and we finally have a few days off right now."

Summer let out a sigh of relief before looking off screen "Tai! Honey, come quick! It's Ruby!"

Ruby heard her father running over, eventually his face popped into view "Ruby! You've had your old man worried!"

Ruby smiled "I'm okay, still in one piece! Everything's still attached and works just fine!"

Taiyang chuckled "Really? You look a little shorter, the G-forces finally starting to shrink you?"

"Har, har, very funny dad." Ruby pouted.

Summer sighed and shook her head "Speaking of terrible humor, where's your sister?"

Taiyang gasped in feign injury and put a hand to his chest "My dear wife! You wound me with your words!"

"Such a drama queen." said Summer as she playfully shoved him.

Ruby giggled at the antics of her parents before thinking momentarily "Honestly I think she's still asleep."

Taiyang raised a brow "This late? It's almost noon."

"They've been on constant missions, this is their first of a few days off." Summer explained.

Taiyang nodded before looking back at Ruby "Ahhh I see, can't blame you then for sleeping in. Well don't let me take up your day off, make sure you enjoy yourself."

He leaned in to kiss his wife on the cheek "I gotta get going. Love you."

"Love you too dear." Summer replied.

"Bye dad! Love you! Have a great day!" Ruby said as she waved.

"Love you too kiddo, stay safe out there." Taiyang said, waving back before disappearing off screen.

Summer turned back to her daughter "So, any plans for today?"

Ruby shrugged, "Eeeehhhh, to be honest, I'll probably just take it easy for today. Going to have a get-together later tonight."

A thought popped into her head "Oh! Did you get my deposit?"

Summer frowned "Yes, we did. But that's your money Ruby. You…you go through a lot to earn that money."

"Yeah I know." Ruby said "But I don't need all of it ya know? I mean, I make more than enough to cover everything I need covered." Her smile turned slightly sad "Besides, I want to make sure you and dad are taken care of…in case…you know…the worst happens-"

Summer held up her hand "Stop! I get your point but I'd rather not talk about that."

A wave of sadness hit Ruby "Sorry."

Summer gave her daughter a loving, assuring, and understanding look "It may bother me, but I know why you do it Ruby; and part of me is proud that you do so. Not many parents are fortunate enough to have their kids look after them, me and your father are blessed to have raised two incredible daughters."

Ruby's sadness disappeared while her face turned red as she buried her face in her knees "Aaaaaaaawwwwwwwweeeeeeeeee mooooooommmmmmmmm!"

Summer giggled, happy that she could easily cheer up her daughter "Well I think I've kept you long enough. If your father is already off to work then I shouldn't be too far behind."

Ruby looked back at the screen with a smile "Okay, I'll remind Yang to give you guys a call later."

Summer nodded, "Sounds good, you all take care of each other out there."

"We will, and I promise I'll call sooner." Ruby proclaimed.

"I know you will." Summer replied "Love you Ruby."

"Love you too mom!"

They blew each other a kiss goodbye before Ruby ended the call and flopped back down on her bed.

'What should I do today?' she thought as her stomach rumbled 'Yeah food sounds good, I haven't eaten yet. At least the food here is far better than what we've been having to eat lately.'

As if the universe itself heard her desire, someone knocked on her bedroom door.

"Ruby? You awake?"

"Yeah I'm up! Come in Weiss!" Ruby answered, unaware that her eyes had lit up.

Weiss opened the door and poked her head inside. "JNPR is making brunch for everyone, I know you're hungry."

Ruby's eyes widened as she instantly stood on her feet "Does that mean…?!"

Smiling, Weiss rolled her eyes "Yes, Ren is making his 'super special awesome' pancakes."

Ruby squealed in delight "YEEEEESSSSSS! Not only do we get to have ACTUAL food! But I FINALLY get to have delicious pancakes after SO LONG !"

Weiss placed her hand over her mouth, trying to hide her amusement. "Well Yang and Blake are already up and getting ready so get yourself dressed."

"You got it!" Ruby said with a thumbs up.

As soon as Weiss closed the door Ruby immediately rambled through her closet for something to wear that wasn't her pajamas. She didn't need to be in uniform for a few days so she could dress casual; black sweatpants, maroon t-shirt, red hoodie, and her black high top sneakers. She gave herself a once over in the mirror before bolting out of her room and joined her teammates as they headed off to the mess hall.

~ Later that day ~

Sounds of a revving engine echoed off the valley walls as a yellow sport bike cruised down the mountain road which eventually twisted into a long straight leading into three clusters of rural towns. These made up the quaint mountain town of Solis Ortus, tucked away in between the mountains nearly forty five minutes away from Valais air base.

Yang slowed her speed as they entered town and glided through the streets, a few locals gave welcoming and friendly waves; Bumblebee was a well known sight. After passing through a few intersections and taking a few turns, Yang arrived at a street corner that was home to a cozy looking restaurant by the name of 'The Fox and the Bird'. Yang parked on the street, swung out the kickstand and shut the engine off; arms that were wrapped around her waist slowly released themselves as she and Blake headed inside hand in hand.

The little bell above the door jingled as they entered, various smells of food filling their noses. Standing at the cashier counter was an elderly woman who looked up at Blake and Yang as they approached; recognition coming into her aged but observant eyes.

"Well if it isn't some of my favorite customers!"

The happiness put an extra spring in her step as she shuffled over to meet them, Blake and Yang moved to meet her halfway as they all enveloped in a warm hug.

"It's really good to see you again Gladys." said Yang.

"You girls sure know how to make an old woman worry!" Gladys chuckled.

Blake smiled at her as they separated "Sorry we've been away, we finally have a few days to ourselves so we made sure to come visit."

Glady sighed "I'm just relieved to see you're all alright, the radio and tv don't have much good news lately when it comes to the war."

She looked at Yang "Where's your sister and Miss Schnee?"

Yang offered an apologetic smile "We've got a get together with our friends planned for the evening back at base, so they stayed behind to get things ready. But they promised they would visit before we have to leave again."

Satisfied, Gladys nodded "I'll hold them to it. As I said, I'm just happy to know you're all okay. Why don't you two go ahead and take a seat, I saved your booth for you."

Yang looked over at the only round booth in the cafe then back to Gladys "Aw, you don't have to do that."

Gladys shrugged "Maybe not, but it doesn't feel right when it isn't you four girls at that table, besides, no one else sits in it anyways."

She looked at the both of them "May I assume you two will take your usual?"

Blake's eyes widened in excitement "Yes! That would be wonderful!"

Yang chuckled as she led Blake to their table "You and your seafood."

"You leave my delicious grilled salmon sandwiches alone." Blake responded playfully.

Yang laughed, "I swear in some other universe you really are part cat."

Blake smirked in curiosity "Oh really? Would I have a long black tail?"

"Naahh you would have really cute cat ears." Yang said with a slight blush.

Blake giggled and kissed her on the cheek "Such a charmer."

They settled in and enjoyed the atmosphere, there weren't many other patrons so it was decently quiet; the only sound was the radio playing swamp rock and rockabilly music. Though more than satisfied with just enjoying each other's company, they did talk occasionally; but it was their personal rule to NOT talk about the war when on a date if it could be helped.

They were discussing their plans for later when a middle aged man in the garb of a cook walked over to the table with a tray of their food. "Ladies, it was a delight to see this order pop up in the kitchen again."

Yang smiled brightly "Tim, your delicious food is all we can think of when we try to eat the crap they give us while on deployment. Compared to that stuff, your food is gourmet perfection!"

The cook chuckled as he set a smash burger with a side of golden brown fries in front of her "Two patties, with the works, extra cheese and bacon."

Yang stared at her food with stars in her eyes "Best…burger…on…Remnant."

Tim chuckled again at the praise as he presented Blake with her dish; a grilled salmon sandwich with a side of seasoned potato wedges.

Blake smiled in delight "It looks delicious, thank you Tim."

The cook smiled and bowed his head "The pleasure's all mine ladies, enjoy your food."

As he headed back to the kitchen, Yang picked up her burger and took the biggest bite she could, nearly moaning from how delicious it was. She went in for another bite when out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Blake was staring almost lovingly at the sandwich in her hands.

" Gee Blake, are you trying to make me jealous?" Yang teased.

Blake narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend, but smirked as she took a bite out of her sandwich before leaning over to whisper in Yang's ear "Awe don't worry, I'll eat you up later."

Yang nearly choked on her food & went completely red "Reaallyy Blake? While I'm eating my burger?!"

Blake snickered as she returned to her food 'Oh I LOVE making her squirm.'

Mischievous flirtations over, they soon fell into a rhythm of casual conversation as they ate - once they had finished, they headed over to the counter and Yang rang the bell to let Gladys know they were ready to pay.

As they waited, the music on the radio ended as the theme of a news broadcast began playing.

"This is Lisa Lavender of Remnant News Network, and this is the news on the hour. Over the past month, the terrorist organization 'White Fang' has increased attacks throughout southern Anima. With most military resources allocated into pushing back the ongoing Atlesian invasion, the Mistral Senate has been slow to react to these attacks in spite of offers of assistance from Menagerie's Prime Minister; Ghira Belladonna."

Blake clenched her fists as she heard the report. Ever since their third year at Beacon, they took any and all available contracts against the White Fang. After they graduated, her father hired them to be a part of a coalition that spent a year dismantling the entity; RWBY Team had personally seen to taking out the terrorist group's leader.

After that the organization had initially fallen into shambles, but within the two years since the war began, they used the worldwide distraction to somehow reform and continue their acts.

Blake felt a hand on her shoulder as her gaze met with Yang's, the blonde's face showing concern.

She sighed as she reached up and squeezed Yang's hand "I'm okay. It's…it's just aggravating how after everything we did, they're still around."

Yang pulled her into a tight hug "I know, I hate it too and I wish we could do something. But…at least we know it's not because of… him ."

Though she was in the arms of her girlfriend, Blake couldn't help but scowl at the thought of the 'man' who had become too maniacal to be left alive.

She breathed in Yang's scent to calm herself before pulling away slightly. "I know, I made sure of that when I filled his cockpit full of bullet holes."

Her face was stern as gold met purple. "I don't regret it."

Yang leaned in and gently touched their foreheads together "I know, and no one will ever fault you for that. "

Sadly, the tender moment they were attempting to have was undermined by the news broadcast.

"We also have confirmed reports that a large detachment of the Atlesian Navy has left occupied Argus, though their destination remains unknown at this time. And our final report comes from Sanus where the Valean military has finally managed to halt Vacuo's advance. General Ironwood has stated that a counterattack-"

The sound of the radio switching from the news back to music caught the girls' attention; both looked over and saw that Gladys had changed the station.

The woman let out a melancholic sigh "To think I'd have to witness two world wars in my lifetime." She turned to the younger girls in front of her "I know you're all fighting as hard as you can to bring an end to this conflict, but I pray that you can live a full life of peace when it's all over."

"Hey don't worry, we're going to make sure you too can enjoy your twilight years in peace." Yang assured.

"Well I'd certainly love that, but I want you two to make it through all this so I can attend your wedding." Gladys said with a wink.

Blake blushed a deep red and could only glance away while Yang nearly fumbled her wallet.

"H-haha! Well uhhh, ya know one step at a time r-right? Gotta survive this war first and all that!" she said as she set some money on the counter.

Gladys snickered but stopped as she looked at the money and then looked back at the blonde.

"Yang, sweetie. You paid way too much, again."

Yang crossed her arms and smirked "You really wanna go through this again?"

The old woman sighed, "But you're literally paying for every table in here, plus tips; twice over."

Yang simply waved it off "And I've told you every time; we make more than what we need and we have more than enough set aside for ourselves. Besides, I've seen too many people lose so much because of the war. In spite of what we go through, I don't feel right getting everything while everyone else has nothing, you know?"

Gladys sighed again and looked at Blake "How do you deal with her stubbornness?"

Blake shrugged with a smirk "I love her unfortunately."

Yeah!" Yang said before she blinked and gave her partner a double take "Wait what's that supposed to mean?!"

Blake and Gladys could only snicker teasingly as Yang tried her hardest (and failed) to pout.

'Ahhhh young love.' Gladys thought as she turned her head towards the kitchen.

"Hey Tim! They're on their way out!"

The cook popped out of the kitchen carrying two boxes and handed one to each of the girls.

He pointed at the box he gave Yang "Those are chocolate chip cookies for Ruby, just came out of the oven five minutes ago."

Yang beamed "Ahhh! That's why the box feels warm; she'll love them."

Tim smiled at that as he gestured to the box in Blake's hands "And those are my homemade lemon squares that Weiss likes so much."

Blake giggled "She devours them faster than Ruby devours cookies."

Yang started to reach for her wallet "Here let me-"

But Tim held up his hands as he took a step back towards the kitchen, still wearing a smile "Nope! Nuh uh! There's no need for that, those are on the house."

Yang being Yang she was going to insist; but Blake tugged her girlfriend towards the exit "Thank you so much! We'll make sure they stop in!"

Gladys gave them a wave as they went out the door, as soon as it closed she let out a sigh.

Tim looked at her "You okay?"

Gladys gave him a sad smile "They're just kids Tim, they shouldn't be fighting a war."

The sound of Bumblebee starting up brought her attention to the dining room windows as she watched the motorbike speed out of town "I lost both of my brothers during the First Continental War, lost my husband during the Vacuan Civil War - and I love those girls like they're my own grandchildren."

She turned to him "I pray that they and their friends not only survive, but live once it's over and not be left scarred by the war."

Tim set a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently in understanding "I know, I do too. Sometimes that's all we can do; I'm just happy that we can give them a moment of peace and normalcy."

Gladys nodded in agreement "And we will continue to do so, and we will continue to have faith."

~ Later that evening ~

In the living room of RWBY Team's barracks; Weiss, Yang, Blake, Penny, and Juane sat around a large table with papers, dice, and figurines strewn about across a large map. At one end of the table Ruby sat behind a GM screen, fingers steepled in front of her - they were all gathered playing one of their favorite RPG tabletop games: 'Grimoires & Grimm'.

"So." Ruby began as she looked at the party members "After your recent combat encounter, in which you were able to take three prisoners; you've decided to set up camp for the night. What are your plans before you settle in for your long rest?"

Penny addressed the party, holding an empty soup can in front of her mouth to give her voice a more metallic sound for her Warforged character "I have our captives secured, do we wish to interrogate them?"

"I fidget with the ball of yarn in my hands before giving a nod and look at the prisoners." Blake said before shifting her voice to a lighter yet sly tone to fit her Tabaxi rogue "Hmmmmmmmmm these ones may have valuable information yes?"

"One of them glares at you, hatred in his eyes." Ruby described as she mimicked being tied up "FUCK OFF YOU FILTHY CAT!"

Yang narrows her eyes at Ruby "Yaril doesn't take kindly to that welp speaking about her partner that way. So I'm going to walk up to this punk and use my 'Intimidating Presence' on him."

"Hmmmmmmmm, interesting." Ruby hummed as she rolled her D20, a smirk appearing on her face "Unfortunately he rolled a nat twenty on his wisdom saving throw. So as you get up to march over to him, you're too wrapped up in your anger to notice a rock on the ground, to which you trip over it and fall flat on your face. Instead of intimidating him, you've only made him laugh at your clumsiness."

Yang slouched in her chair "Awwww dammit."

"Would anyone else like to try and coax information from these guys?" Ruby asked.

"Savara watches this all unfold, completely unimpressed. She lets out a sigh, closes the book she was reading, and walks over to the prisoners." Weiss said before she adopted an icy tone for her high elf sorceress "If you want something done correctly, you do it yourself."

"As you approach them, one of the prisoners spits at you." Ruby said "FUCK YOU! YOU KNIFE EARED CUNT!"

Juane spoke up in a gruff voice for his paladin "Oh…he shouldn't have said that."

"Savara's eye twitches." Weiss said, switching to a clipped tone "Indeed, such a lower life form has no right to speak such foul language."

She checked her character sheet before looking back to Ruby "I cast Polymorph on the one who made the racist comment at me."

Ruby nodded "Alrighty let's see if he makes his Wisdom save." She rolled her dice again and frowned; this time the outcome was the complete opposite "Well shit, he rolled a nat one on his save. What do you want to turn him into?"

Weiss smirked, "A chicken."

"There's a glow around the guy, he shrinks in size and his buddies are a little shook up that their friend was just turned into a chicken." Ruby said before flapping her arms "Bawk! Bawk! BAAAAAAAWWWWKKK!"

Weiss couldn't help but giggle at Ruby's acting "Excellent! Now I draw my rapier."

She was about to pick up her D20 dice to roll for attack when Ruby waved it off "I'm not going to make you roll for this, you're literally right there in front of it and it's tied up."

Weiss nodded "I thrust my rapier into the chicken. The moment it is dead I'll use the rapier to fling the carcass over to Yaril." she looked at Yang, switching her tone with a smirk "There you go, I'm sure you're hungry."

Yang blinked for a moment before smiling "Yaril will take the dead chicken, give a nod of gratitude to Savara, and then I bite the head off!"

Everyone around the table was silent for a beat before Juane raised his hand "Ummm hold on, doesn't a target under Polymorph revert to its original form when its new form drops to zero hit points? And then the excess damage carries over to the original form?"

Ruby hummed in thought "Technically you're correct, but in this instance, since this is a homebrew, and I follow the 'Rule of Cool'." She looked over at Weiss "I'm more than willing to let this one slide."

Weiss leaned back into her seat with a victorious smile on her face "Thank you."

Ruby rolled a couple more dice before painting the scene created by Weiss and Yang's actions "The other two prisoners are completely scared shitless by what they've just seen and they're trying their hardest to get away from you all."

"Iron Maiden will grab a hold of them and make sure they stay in place." Penny said "You want me to make a strength check?"

Ruby chuckled and shook her head "With your ridiculous strength stat it's not needed."

She put her hands behind her back, again mimicking being tied up and squirmed about as if she was trying to break free "No! NO! PLEASE! W-WE'LL TELL YOU WHAT WE KNOW! P-PLEASE HAVE MERCY!"

Juane stood from his seat, putting anger into the voice of his character "Mercy? MERCY?! You want mercy when you showed the inhabitants of Silverpoint none at all!?"

Ruby rolled another dice, her eyes widened for a split second before continuing her act "WE DIDN'T WANNA DO IT! S-SHE MADE US DO IT!"

Weiss arched an eyebrow "She?"

"Who is 'she'?" Juane added.

"The other guy's eyes go wide as he immediately turns to his partner and shakes his head furiously." Ruby said "Don't do it! Don't say her name! She'll kill you!"

Weiss made a motion as if she was pointing a weapon at someone "I point the tip of my rapier at his throat, and say 'If you don't speak 'her' name I'll kill you'."

Once again Ruby rolled a dice, and this time she didn't hold back a mischievous smirk "Penny, perception check please?"

The redhead made her roll "Seventeen"

"The man you're holding onto with your left hand; you see something glowing on his back, underneath his shirt." Ruby described "And dark tendrils moving up his neck."

"I immediately drop them both and dash backwards and shout 'GET AWAY!'."

"As I dash back I cast detect magic." Weiss added.

Ruby looked to her "There's definitely some serious sorcery going on, all you can tell though, is that it is very foul ."

"From both of them?" Weiss asked.

Ruby nodded "You also see a glow, coming from the other man's chest."

Weiss hummed pensively and quickly made her choice "I cast counterspell at fifth level."

Ruby grinned "Arcana check."

Weiss frowned as she rolled her dice, even with her proficiency it was a low roll "Twelve…?'

Ruby shook her head "I'm afraid that is not going to do it, as this shadow wisp like energy easily counters your counterspell."

"Dammit.." huffed Weiss as Ruby continued.

"Shadows quickly envelope both men, tendrils of darkness seep into their mouths and muffle their screams." She made the motions as if she was choking to death. "As the darkness consumes them, they freeze, and fall apart; liquefying into inky black puddles."

"I draw my sword and shield." Said Juane.

"I draw my shortswords." Blake added.

"These puddles of black tar start to bubble." said Ruby in a hushed tone "From each, you see these strange looking skulls with lines of red slowly ascend out of the puddles as they take on a humanoid appearance. White boney claws form at their hands; their soulless yellow eyes stare at you all. The figures, now fully formed, let out an ear shattering scream."

Ruby cupped her hands together "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

She looked around at the party, completely aghast at the noise she just made, hanging on the edge of their seats.

"Annnnnnnnd that's where we'll end tonight's session!" She said with a goofy smile.

Everyone groaned in protest.

The following day started off rather well; after a trip into Solis Ortis in the morning for breakfast with Weiss, Ruby had all but locked herself in her room as she worked on one of her GUNPLA models.

Her current build was one she had to put off for a while due to simply not having time; it was also a special build, this particular model was a gift from Weiss. Ruby often thought back to how she received the kit, during their second year at Beacon she got a bit…overzealous with her money. To the point where she was far too focused on her hobby, neglecting her training, studies, and building a backlog of kits that haven't been touched.

Weiss not only called her out on her problem, but offered to help when she didn't need to.

Ruby was so focused on her current build, a RG Sazabi, that she didn't hear Weiss enter their dorm room. In fact she was so focused on her build that she barely registered the other girl's attempts at getting her attention until Weiss actually had to yell at her.

"RUBY ROSE!"

Ruby yelped in surprise and nearly leapt out of her seat. She didn't turn to face Weiss at first, but she could feel the other girl's stare boring into the side of her head. Sheepishly, she turned and slowly met Weiss in the eye; the heiress had her arms folded across her chest, with a look of disappointment on her face.

Weiss let out an exasperated sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose "Really Ruby? Another one? I know this isn't one of the kits you bought last weekend."

Ruby remained silent and could only fidget in her seat.

Weiss looked at her poignantly "Ruby, we need to ta-

"I don't have a problem Weiss! I need more RG's!" Ruby said with a huff as she crossed her arms.

Weiss turned Ruby so that her partner was facing her "I'm not saying you have to stop, but this has become a problem."

With genuine worry on her face, she knelt down to meet Ruby's eye level "You've been skipping class and our training sessions so I know your marks are slipping; you're poised to be the youngest pilot in the history of Vale to earn their wings. But you can't become a pilot-" she paused and gestured at the Sazabi model on Ruby's desk "-if you're holed up in our dorm giving more attention to your hobby than your studies."

Ruby looked away in embarrassment, squirming in her seat, opening her mouth but quickly closing it several times.

Weiss' patience remained steadfast "I'll tell you what, I'll make you a deal."

She walked over to her bed and pulled out a briefcase from underneath, setting it on the bed and put in the combination for the locks.

When she opened it up, Ruby's eyes went wide at the ridiculous amount of money that was held within.

"Holy crap!" Ruby gaped "You've had that this whole time!?"

Weiss nodded "I have it for emergencies only, but I'm willing to make an exception."

She pulled out several bills, totalling five hundred Lien and handed it to Ruby.

Ruby hesitantly took the money "What's this…why are you giving me this?"

"Because you're also going to learn how to properly manage your finances; it'll be part of our deal." Weiss said.

Ruby raised an eyebrow "And this deal is?"

"As I said, I'm not saying you have to stop doing your hobby, I may not know anything about it, but I know it means a lot to you; the key to all of this is moderation." Weiss explained.

"Moderation?" Ruby asked.

Weiss nodded "Correct, our studies and training are important. You're allowed to have hobbies, but they can't take precedence over academy work; again, moderation. So let's say you set aside an hour, maybe an hour and a half to dedicate to your hobby, but only AFTER you've completed your studies for the day."

She walked over to Ruby's assigned closet and opened it up, dozens of unopened GUNPLA kits spilled out onto the floor "After today, you'll refrain from buying anymore kits, at least until you've cleared your backlog and improved your grades."

A look of sheepish embarrassment washed over Ruby's face, but Weiss offered a smile and additional motivation "If you can improve your marks, clear your backlog, and learn to handle your money better; I'll get you that one kit you've been going on and on about for the past couple months."

Ruby gasped as her eyes went wide "Y-you mean…the Perfect Grade Unleashed Deathscythe Hell Endless Waltz Edition!?"

Weiss couldn't help but roll her eyes fondly "Yes, that one."

Ruby's jaw slackened and her eyes sparkled. She looked at the money in her hand, then to her unopened kits, then to Weiss; then back to the money again "I…I don't know what to say. I figured you'd yell at me or something, I wasn't expecting any of this though."

Weiss looked at her with a hint of regret on her face "I know I wasn't the greatest person when we first met, but I promised you that I would be the BEST partner you could ever ask for; I'm trying to be that for you right now, I'll even help you with your studies and budgeting. You're an incredible pilot Ruby, I don't want to see you fail."

Ruby blinked in astonishment, looking again between the money, Weiss, and her kits. A smile spread across her face as an unknown weight lifted from her shoulders and a new sense of determination set in.

"Okay, I promise I'll do better." she nodded firmly.

Weiss surprised her once again when she held out her hand but only extended her pinky.

"Pinky promise?" Weiss asked with a smile.

Ruby couldn't believe it, pinky promises were sacred to her; a year ago Weiss had thought they were utterly stupid - not to mention they always butted heads over everything. Now though, here she was, not scolding Ruby, nor ridiculing her or arguing with her; instead she was showing patience and understanding. She pointed out that Ruby had developed a bit of a problem, to which Ruby finally admitted to herself that yeah, she did actually have a problem and it needed to be corrected before things got worse. What's more was the fact that Weiss wasn't leaving her to her own devices and figure things out on her own, she selflessly offered to help get Ruby back on track.

She reached out with her hand, hooking her pinky with Weiss' and they shook on it.

That day a lot of things changed, Ruby took Weiss' deal to heart. She got better with her money, her grades skyrocketed; and though it would take her almost a whole year, she managed to clear her backlog - the Perfect Grade Deathscythe Unleashed had been her main project ever since.

A lot of things changed on that day, including some new and strange…thoughts and feelings that began manifesting within Ruby that were becoming more apparent.

Immediately realizing her train of thought was once again going down the wrong track, Ruby shook her head as she attempted to break away from the unwanted distraction and re-focus on her work.

'I REALLY wish I could turn my brain off.'

She set her tools down, closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, counting down from ten.

'10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1'

As she reached one, she exhaled, opening her eyes and gazed at the instruction booklet - the next step in the build was the beam scythe.

She hummed in thought 'Canonically, the Endless Waltz Deathscythe doesn't have any ranged weapons.'

Her face remained pensive as she looked over the plastic runners that held the pieces for the scythe, and then an idea hit her; quickly dashing any unwanted thoughts from her mind.

'What if I kitbash a beam scythe that also doubles as a beam rifle?! YEAH! It can be a scythe AND a gun! That would be SO COOL!'

She opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a pad of sticky notes and quickly jotted down her idea - she LOVED kitbashing, she had gotten quite good at it.

As she stuck the note to her desk there was a knock at her door and Yang's voice called out from the other side "Rubes? You in there?"

"Yeah come on in!"

The door opened and her sister stuck her head in. "I just got the word that CFVY Team is on approach, they're a few minutes out."

Ruby darted over to her sister with a look of glee all over her face "They're back from the southeastern front!?"

Yang nodded "Yup, word is they're joining us on our next mission, and I heard they've brought their new aircraft."

Ruby's smile widened "Well what are we waiting for!? It's been forever since we've seen them! Let's go out and greet them!"

They quickly made their way out to the tarmac near their hangar and arrived just in time to see four aircraft land one after another.

"Whoooooaaaaa!" Ruby exclaimed as she eyed the aircraft as they taxied along the runway; four A-10 Thunderbolt II's, aka 'Warthogs'.

The lead Warthog sported a yellow crosshairs gunsight emblem on its tail; fitting for the A-10's party piece, a high powered seven barrel 30mm gatling gun.

The second Hog wore a swirling orange eye, the third a brown heart stitched together, and the tail of the fourth had a green square with four lines that formed a trio of mountains within.

CFVY Team

Vale Air Force

7th Air and Land Division

59th Air Force Unit

Yang and Ruby made their way over to CFVY Team's hanger as the aircraft were guided in; as the girls walked in they were met by the sight of Penny ogling the planes with vibrant fascination until she caught them in the corner of her eye.

"AREN'T THEY MAGNIFICENT!?" she shouted loudly over the drone of the engines that had just started to shut down.

The canopy of the lead Warthog opened up and Coco Adel took off her flight helmet only to slip on her signature beret and aviators before exiting the cockpit.

"Yo! Fashionista!" Yang called out.

Coco visibly perked up as the other three walked over and she eagerly joined them in a group hug.

"God it's SO good to see you guys again." she exclaimed in tired happiness.

"Same here, it's been six whole months, how are you guys holding up?" Yang asked as they all separated.

Coco lowered her shades that revealed tired eyes "Not going to lie to you, it's been fucking hell." she paused and cracked a smile "But we managed to keep the Vacuans from pushing east over the mountains, they won't be trying that anytime soon."

She noticed Ruby and Penny drooling over her A-10 "So what do you guys think of the new toys?"

Penny was completely enthralled. "It's marvelous! The perfect ground attack aircraft! Heavily armored, incredibly durable, the titanium bathtub cockpit!"

"And the gun!" added Ruby "Don't forget the big gun!"

Penny nodded enthusiastically "Seven barrels, 30mm, spitting out 3,900 rounds a minute! Armor piercing rounds, high explosive incendiary rounds; and the armor piercing rounds are cast around a smaller caliber depleted uranium penetrating core!"

"Oh no..." came the voice of Velvet Scarlatina as she joined them "Not you guys too."

Coco snickered at her girlfriend "Awwwweee c'mon babe! Surely they know of the new sensation sweeping the nation!"

"Coco, hunny, please." Velvet sighed.

"Bitches LOVE cannons!" Coco exclaimed before gesturing at herself with her thumbs "And I'm bitches!"

Yang snorted "I can't deny, that gun is pretty cool."

Ruby smiled and shrugged, "I've always been a plane and weapon nerd."

"I'm obsessed with the mechanics of it all." added Penny as she intently studied the landing gear.

Ruby glanced around "Where's Fox and Yatsuhashi?"

"More than likely they already headed off to bed." Velvet said as she let out a yawn and nudged Coco "We should too, it's been a long flight."

Coco couldn't help yawn as well "Yeah a nap and cuddles are definitely needed; you guys doing anything later?"

"We're getting together with JNPR for a movie night." said Yang "You're more than welcome to join us."

Coco cringed slightly, "I don't know, I can't stand those superhero movies Juane always puts on."

Ruby giggled "Oh don't worry, it's our turn to pick the movie."

"What did you pick?" Velvet asked.

Ruby grinned "How do you guys feel about old school classic Kaijju movies?"

~ The final day, late afternoon ~

Hanger 10 was usually always empty but for most of the day it was RWBY Team's practice space, and soon to be auditorium - they had just finished practicing, and were now setting things up for the show they would perform later that night. Music had been a surprising common ground among the four during their early years at Beacon - even with their different tastes in genres and influences, they all shared the same love for creating and listening to music.

Ruby had a passion for guitar, Yang loved banging on the drums, and Blake had a fondness for bass guitar. They all knew Weiss could sing, but didn't fully understand her reluctance to do so; that was until Weiss found out that the rest of the team was musically inclined that she revealed the truth behind her hesitance.

"I used to really love music and singing." she explained "It was one of the few things I enjoyed of my childhood in Atlas, but once my father found out I was taking lessons, practicing for myself became practicing for him. Not singing any songs that I wanted to sing, but singing the songs he wanted me to sing. I became a PR piece for him, singing at sponsored art galas, private recitals for investors, and his…political rallies."

Yang set a hand on her shoulder "Well you're not some caged songbird anymore."

"Yang's right." Blake added "He isn't here. You can fully express yourself."

Weiss glanced away "I don't know…"

She was brought to alert attention when Ruby grabbed and squeezed her hands.

"Why don't we form a band?!"

Weiss blinked and stiffened, still getting used to her partner's touchy personality "W-what? Us? A band? We all like different things, what would we even play?"

Ruby pulled away and beamed "Well whatever we want of course!"

Weiss looked pensive for a moment before getting off her bed, lifting the mattress and pulling out a black binder. Setting it on her bed, she unzipped and opened it, allowing the other three to view the contents inside - to which they were surprised by what they found.

"Are these…?" Ruby asked dumbfoundedly as she flipped through the pages of CDs "All metal bands?!"

Yang was just as shocked "Dragonslayer?! Master Sword? Trivium?!" she flipped to the next page and her jaw dropped "Plagues of Vacuo, Devildriver, Chimaira, AND Arch Enemy?!"

Blake looked over at Weiss "None of these sound like music I thought you'd be into..."

The heiress shrugged "As I said, my father wanted me to perform music he liked. It got to a point where I had to listen to something other than what he wanted."

A sly smile spread on her face "I had asked Klein if he could sneak me some CDs of music that would be the complete opposite of what my father would like; one of the CDs was Black Sabbath's 'Paranoid' and from that day on I was hooked on heavy metal, it became my escape."

Yang blinked as she continued to look over the collection "Yeah but some of these bands have screaming and guttural vocals; that just doesn't sound like you."

Weiss flipped her ponytail over her shoulder "I'm full of surprises Yang Xiao Long, and while I can't do those kinds of vocals, I know that they aren't easy to do; it takes talent. That's why I love metal music, the complexity, the technicality, the musicianship."

Ruby looked at her, back to the binder, then back to Weiss and smiled "I think it's cool you have such an open mind."

A blush crept up on Weiss' face and she looked away "Thank you, I just thought I would share this with you guys."

"If we're going to form a band though, we have to have a cool name!" Yang suggested "I'll start writing names down!"

Ruby scowled at her "No! No way! You'll pick something dumb or try to make it a pun!"

Weiss rolled her eyes fondly at the bickering when a thought occurred to her "Is the auditorium empty right now?"

"Should be, classes are over for the day and it's not reserved for anything." said Blake.

Weiss opened up her night stand, pulling out a notebook and pen; smiling at all of them "Let's head there now. You guys just play whatever you're feeling and if I come up with anything good, I'll write it down."

They looked at each other, smiling and nodding in agreement before Ruby shouted loudly in excitement "FIRST! TEAM! BAND PRACTICE!"

Ever since that practice they became quite the quartet; playing whenever and wherever they could, from campus events to private shows for friends. Once they started taking missions, and eventually entering the war, they didn't have much time to practice and play shows anymore but they made it work. In spite of everything, they always made time to play shows for their comrades; it always helped to take everyone's minds off the conflict and it always provided a huge morale boost for everyone.

~ Later that evening ~

The show was an absolute success, the Valais Air Base personnel and their fellow pilots all cheered loudly for them as they took a bow after finishing their ten song setlist. They had just barely made it off stage when the crowd beckoned them with the three words that any band would want to hear at the end of their show.

"ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG!"

Weiss looked at the crowd, then to her bandmates "Well how about it? Should we play one more?"

Yang pumped her fist "Hell yeah we should!"

Blake nodded in agreement as she picked up her favorite bass; a purple Rickenbacker 4003 "I'm down for one more song, what should we play though?"

"How about 'Blue Skies'?" Weiss suggested as the crowd kept chanting for an encore.

"Ooooohh! We've never played that one for a crowd before! It's always been our personal jam." Ruby said as she picked up one of her guitars that she knew would be perfect for the song in question; an Aerodyne Special Stratocaster in a beautiful hot rod burst color.

"All the more reason to play it, I know everyone will love it." Weiss said as she led them back out onto the stage.

The crowd cheered for them as they retook their spots; Yang sat on her drum throne and pulled out a fresh pair of sticks while Blake and Ruby prepared their wireless systems on their guitars and amplifiers - Ruby clicking a few pedals on her pedalboard to get the tone and effects she wanted.

Weiss sat down on a cushioned seat in front of her keyboard, switched it over to its piano mode, and leaned into the microphone "You've all been so wonderful and we can't thank you all enough for coming out and joining us tonight. So to thank you all, we'll play you a special song that we've never played live before."

The crowd murmured in anticipation; Weiss cracked her knuckles and stretched her hands.

"This one goes out to all of you here, to our comrades who are out there fighting right now, and to those comrades we have lost."

She started off by hitting a few chords on the piano, playing them for a couple of measures before Blake came in, her bass accenting what Weiss was playing. At the same time Yang tapped out the tempo on her high hat while Ruby layered on a selection of notes on guitar.

Yang went into a drum fill that kicked off the main theme of the song - Ruby switched to a set of higher and brighter sounding notes.

The modulation in the theme changed slightly, and Weiss leaned into the mic and began the first verse.

"Everyday I wake up unsure of the task the day will bring."

"Yesterday's disappointments, they keep reminding me."

"Tomorrow's surely coming, just as sure as the air I breathe."

"But I know that I'll get through it, I have what I need."

Ruby and Blake joined in with Weiss on the chorus.

"I have so far to go. And only heaven knows."

Weiss "The sun keeps shining."

Ruby and Blake "Everything is bound to change."

Weiss "And the wind keeps blowing, but the wide blue sky."

Ruby and Blake "Wide blue sky always stays the same."

Weiss "It forever stays the same. I've been findin'."

Ruby and Blake "Everything is bound to change."

Weiss "That the joys in knowin', that the wide blue sky"

Ruby and Blake "Wide blue sky's always the same."

Weiss "That it's never gonna change."

"I have so far to go, and only heaven knows. Yes I have so far to go, and heaven knows."

Weiss "Not one day goes by."

Ruby and Blake "The wide blue sky, the wide blue sky."

Weiss "Without my blue sky, on which I rely on."

Ruby and Blake "The wide blue sky, the wide blue sky."

Weiss "There's hope in the wide blue sky."

They returned to the main theme of the song where they initially started and repeated it for two measures before Weiss kicked off the vocals again.

"Giving me so much hope."

Continuing the main theme; Ruby, and Blake then repeated a single line "Blue skies, giving me so much hope."

As they sang the background vocals, Weiss paralleled them with her own high notes. They did this as the song was slowly brought to its conclusion; Ruby punctuating the outro with a few more bright guitar notes.

The song came to an end, and for the first few seconds there was silence. Then someone started clapping, then another joined, and another; soon the entire hanger erupted into thunderous applause and joyful cheering.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang once again came to the front of the stage and all took a deep bow - though they would return to the reality of war in the morning, they would all sleep soundly tonight knowing that even if it was for only a short time, they were able to bring happiness to others.

Morning came too quickly for many as most of the pilots and base personnel were up at the crack of dawn - the mood was tense and serious, hangers were crawling with flight crews as they prepared aircraft for the looming mission.

In RWBY Team's locker room, Weiss was in the process of gearing up as she slowly and methodically put on her flight suit. She was usually the first one in or the last one out, today it was the latter; before every mission was when dark and disruptive thoughts tended to run rampant through her head.

She sighed as she eyed her Atlesian military uniform, still in its plastic packaging. It was a graduation gift from her sister Winter; though with the way things were going with Solitas and Atlas at the time, she didn't feel comfortable wearing it - and then there was her father, Jacques Schnee.

The man took her family name, tried to control her, manipulating and conducting corporate espionage as the CEO of the Schnee Electronics Company; then installed himself as the Fuhrer of Solitas. When she refused to return to Atlas upon graduation, he disinherited her and named her brother Whitley as the heir to the SEC, though she knew her father was merely using Whitley and shaping him in his own image.

When her father declared open war, he again attempted to get her to return. To join the Atlesian Air Force and if she 'proved herself' he would name her heiress once more; she simply, flat out, told him, no.

He wasn't fazed by her refusal and proceeded to threaten her, pumping out propaganda painting her as a traitor to Atlas and Solitas, even going as far as to put a bounty on her head. They encountered a few bounty hunter squadrons since then, yet none of them would make it back to Atlas alive, eventually the hunters stopped coming; but she still felt the target on her back. It always tore her heart to pieces when she had to fight her own people, young men and women brainwashed by her father and his political party's lies.

She shivered and shook the dark thoughts from her mind, reaching into her locker she pulled out a very ornate wooden box, smiling as she ran her hands of the relief carvings on the lid. Opening it revealed a beautifully polished service revolver, another gift, this one from her grandfather Nicholas Schnee. He was a man she highly admired when she was younger, he was a fighter pilot in the First Continental War, after which he founded the SEC. He was the reason she wanted to be a pilot and the inspiration behind her desire to reclaim the SEC, to set it on the path that he originally founded it for; to help people and improve life for everyone across Remnant - before her father turned it into a military industrial complex.

He gifted her the revolver before she had left for Beacon, sadly it was her last interaction with him as he had passed away shortly after; he was the one person who made her childhood bearable, and without him she felt truly alone - at least for a little while.

The revolver was a beautiful shining silver and carved on the length of the barrel in Atlesian was the name her grandfather bestowed upon the weapon.

'Myrtenaster'

She flipped the cylinder and checked to make sure all six chambers were loaded and placed it in the breast holster inside her flight suit. Almost finished and ready to go she zipped up the flight suit but stopped below her neck, reaching back into her locker she opened another box; this one not as fancy or ornate as the one that held Myrtenaster, but what was inside infinitely meant more to her than her aircraft or her revolver ever could.

To anyone else it was just an old, tattered and poorly knitted red scarf; but to Weiss it was more valuable than any high end garment made of the finest materials. Over holiday break during their first year at Beacon, Ruby had a near constant panic attack trying to figure out what to get for Weiss for Christmas; even though Weiss had told her over and over it wasn't necessary.

Yet Ruby being Ruby, she hard pressed herself to get a gift, but what does one get the heiress of the SEC, someone who has the money to get whatever they want? As Christmas day drew closer, Ruby grew more frantic, until it appeared to Weiss that she had finally let the whole thing go; then came Christmas morning.

They all exchanged gifts with their friends and with each other when Ruby presented a narrow gift box to Weiss.

Weiss slowly unwrapped it, taking note of how Ruby looked on in a nervous and anxiety ridden state. Opening the box she saw laid inside, a red scarf with what looked to be a white snowflake on both ends. But this was clearly not a scarf bought from a store, no, this scarf was hand knitted; albeit knitted by someone who had never knitted before.

There were holes in the fabric, there were dropped stitches, the edges were a little wide, and the snowflakes were lopsided and crooked - Ruby truly believed Weiss hated it.

"I-I'm s-sorry! I know it's not super fancy o-or anything but I couldn't think of what to get you and then I remember you saying you had left your scarf in Atlas…s-so I thought I'd make you one! It's not the greatest, I've never knitted before. I know you probably don't like it b-but if you want I can try again! I promise the next one will be better!"

Weiss didn't hear her ramble, she was completely enamored by the scarf, which surprised herself. She never really received gifts, sure her grandfather gifted her Myrtenaster, but outside of that; she never received anything for her birthdays or holidays. It got to a point where she viewed gifts as somewhat trivial, but this scarf, something that was MADE by hand, made by Ruby, made for Weiss; it struck a chord within her heart and soul.

Ruby was about to start rambling again, but was cut off, for the first time since they knew each other; Weiss initiated physical contact and hugged Ruby tightly.

"Thank you." she whispered

Ruby was shocked, both at the fact that Weiss was the one to initiate the hug and that she actually liked the scarf.

Ruby instantly relaxed and returned the hug "You're welcome, I'm really happy you like it."

Weiss smiled at the memory as she wrapped the scarf around her neck. Ruby had thought that she had gotten rid of it, but no; even after Ruby had gone out and bought another for her, Weiss held onto and continued to wear the handmade scarf after all these years.

Fully zipping up her flight suit, Weiss started coiling her hair into a tight bun when Yang walked into the locker room.

"Are you ready? Briefing's about to start."

"Just finished, I'm right behind you." Weiss replied as she grabbed her helmet and locked up her locker before following Yang to the briefing room.

In the dimly lit room Teams CFVY, JNPR, and RWBY had been talking amongst themselves but quickly snapped to attention when base commander Colonel Glynda Goodwitch entered. Everyone was silent as she walked over to the large briefing screen, booted up its computer, and began giving them the rundown.

"Today we begin Operation Phalanx; our counter offensive against the Vacuan Army and our first step in taking back Vale." she stated as the screen displayed a map of Remnant; zooming in on the long lake located near the western tip of the mountain range on Saunus.

"Vacuan forces are mustered on the northern and southern sides of Lake Kopis."

Dozens of red circles and squared blips appeared, marking enemy forces and their positions "There are several armored divisions, along with pillboxes and other fortifications."

More red blips appeared, triangular in shape, these depicted enemy aircraft "We expect there will be fierce opposition from their air forces, including attack helicopters."

Blue colored blips popped up on the screen further north of the lake, these represented the allied forces "Our objective is to smash the Vacuan defensive line, push them back and inflict as much damage as we possibly can. If we can do that, we can neutralize any additional enemy forces from rejoining the main Vacuan Army in Vale."

She glanced between the respective Team leaders "CFVY Team will provide close air support for our ground forces. JNPR and RWBY Teams will have to pull double duty, providing top cover over the combat airspace and providing their own close air support when they're able to; I suggest you all arm your squadrons accordingly."

Another image appeared on screen showing an airstrip behind the allied front line "Due to the importance of this mission, General Ironwood has seen that a frontline airbase was established; this will drastically increase your loiter times. Any questions?"

"No ma'am!" Everyone responded.

Glynda smirked "Good. As always, watch each other's backs out there; and I want all of you to come back alive. Dismissed!"

After the Team Captains had their own briefing, Ruby led her team into their hangar; everyone made their way to their aircraft while she made her way over to her F-15 Eagle where Penny was standing at attention with a clipboard in hand and they immediately started on their preflight.

Visually inspecting the aircraft; checking for any visible damage or cracks, nicks, loose fasteners, or dents in the wings or fuselage. Observing the elevators and the rudder, making sure they are all tight and flight ready; the antennae assembly, making sure no lubricants or brake fluid are leaking. Tires properly inflated, checking for fuel leaks around the engine compartment, cowling and fuel tanks. Checking the wheels, landing gear, and landing gear compartment door for any loose fittings or other defects.

As they finished by inspecting the ordinance, Penny handed Ruby the clipboard to look over "As you requested Blake and Weiss are armed for anti-air, you and Yang are armed for air-to-surface. Keep in mind though that the base out there does not have cruise missiles in their stockpile; so use them wisely."

"Don't worry, we'll make them count." Ruby said with a nod and handed back the clipboard. As she turned to walk away she was pulled back by Penny.

"Speaking of worries, I have a bone to pick with you."

Ruby froze and slowly turned around "That being…?"

Penny furrowed her brows and her face grew incredibly stern as she pointed at the aircraft "I know you've been overtaxing the engines; again ."

"What? W-why would you say that?" Ruby stammered "We just looked at them, they're fiinne."

"Do not lie to me Ruby Rose!" Penny hissed.

Ruby flinched and looked away, absentmindedly rubbing her arm but didn't say anything.

Penny sighed and set her hand firmly on her friend's shoulder "These engines are older than we are, they've survived this long because of good maintenance and by being used judiciously. You're an incredible pilot, so I know you're more than capable of getting the most out of an aircraft without having to push it beyond its limits."

She pulled Ruby into a tight hug "I'm asking you to please be more mindful and cautious. Despite all the upgrades and modernizing I've done to the Eagle over the years, it needs engine replacements badly."

She pulled away "Believe me I'm just as impatient and frustrated as you are that we haven't gotten the new engines yet. With the way the supply chains and logistics are right now it'll still be awhile before we get them, if they were the standard replacement engines they would've been here by now; but I wanted you to have the very best - and you know it wasn't easy to find them."

She squeezed Ruby's hands "You know what my priority is, my true duty as an aircraft mechanic."

Ruby met her eyes and nodded, her voice small "To make sure I, the pilot, come back alive."

Penny nodded "I know we love the Eagle, but the truth of the matter is that aircraft are replaceable."

She poked Ruby in the chest "You are not." She paused for a beat and frowned "If something were to happen to you on a mission because something was wrong with your plane…I could never forgive myself; not to mention Weiss would be furious with me."

Ruby raised a brow "What?! Why would she be mad at you?"

Penny blinked and shook her head. 'Not now Polendina.' "Not important. Just…promise me you won't overdue it."

Seeing the concern on her friend's face, Ruby gave an assuring and understanding smile, cupping Penny's hands with hers and squeezed "I promise."

Penny searched her face, trying to detect any deceit; when she found none she sighed and smiled "Alright, I trust you. I'll go ahead and start getting the ordinance ready."

Ruby nodded "I'll be back shortly."

She made her way to the center of the hangar where the rest of her Team was waiting for her.

"Everything good?" Yang asked

Ruby nodded "Yup, Penny just wanted to go over a couple of extra things. Are you guys ready?"

The other three nodded and they all huddled up for their own preflight ritual; they closed their eyes and spoke a mantra they've been reciting ever since their very first real flight as a Team years ago.

Ruby started it off with a single word "Focus."

"Control." Weiss followed.

"Conviction." Blake said.

"Resolve." finished Yang.

They all spoke in unison "A true Ace lacks none of these attributes. Nothing can deter you from the task at hand, except you own fears. This is your sky."

They all looked and smiled at each other, determination burning in their eyes.

"Alright, let's do this!" Ruby declared firmly and they all separated to climb into their aircraft.

She headed back to her Eagle and entered the cockpit. As she strapped herself in, Penny climbed up to secure Ruby's carry on bag and remove the ground safety pin from the canopy.

"All bypass pins have been removed, you are combat ready." Penny said.

Before she could descend, Ruby pulled her in for one more hug "I promise I'll be careful."

Penny returned the hug in kind "I know, and good luck to all of you out there!"

They separated and she descended to the ground, closing up the boarding ladder and put on her large earmuff headset and microphone.

In the cockpit Ruby put on her jet black flight helmet, emblazoned on it in red lettering was her callsign "Crescent Rose''. She locked eyes with Penny, raised an index finger and twirled it; indicating she was starting the engine start up sequence.

Both engine master switches: on

Both engine control switches: on

Both engine generator switches: on

Jet fuel starter (JFS) switch: on

Airframe mounted accessory drive (AMAD) fire extinguisher test switch: tested and good to go.

She pulled the JFS handle and the ready light came on instantly; the distinctive sound of the JFS whirring and spooling up the engine. Ruby checked her hydraulic systems and oil pressure; both were looking good. She checked the RPM of the engine that read the exact threshold she needed and moved the throttle into the 'idle' position.

This added fuel to the engine and would complete the start sequence on its own; once the engine was at full idle, engine RPMs now at 50%, the air inlet ramp at the front came down with a thump; the JFS decoupled and Ruby restarted the same process with engine two. As it came up to idle, its air inlet ramp also coming down, Ruby closed the canopy as Penny's ground team removed any remaining safety pins as well as those from the landing gear.

Ruby got her navigation instruments and electronics in order; radio, HUD, weapons control panel, radar, and radar warning receiver. She set the flaps down, then rotated the flight stick in clockwise and counterclockwise motions while shifting between left and right on her rudder pedals.

"All flight control surfaces are good." Penny called over the radio "Can you give me a throttle up?"

Ruby looked in her mirror at the ground crew member at the rear of the aircraft and she throttled up slowly. The crew member slowly opened up his hands then closed them and she followed his gesture before he gave her a thumbs up; the exhaust nozzles were functioning properly.

She locked eyes with Penny once more, who held up her closed fists tapping them together at her wrists, indicating that the ground crew were removing the chocks. Once the aircraft was free and the ground crew cleared out of the way; Penny brought her closed fists together with her thumbs sticking out and moved her fists apart, signaling the chocks were away. She then made hand gestures guiding Ruby slowly out of the hanger, once outside Penny made another gesture towards the runway and saluted smartly; Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang returned the salute very crisply as they each passed her.

RWBY Team taxied out to the end of the runway and parked their aircraft, CFVY took off first and JNPR had just taken flight. As they waited for clearance, they all checked their flight control once more, double checked all their instruments, air brakes, and made sure their canopies were locked and sealed.

"This is Valais air base control tower. RWBY Team, you are cleared for takeoff, good luck out there and come back safe."

"Roger that, we will." Ruby responded.

She slowly increased the throttle as one by one they accelerated down the runway, each pulling up once they hit the needed airspeed and RWBY Team lifted off - they were already a few hundred feet in the air when they put up their flaps and retracted their landing gear. They formed up in a four finger formation, quickly catching up to CFVY and JNPR as they all maintained the heading that would take them to Lake Kopis.

Every single pilot knew that the road to Vale would be long, arduous, and most certainly bloody; but they were filled with purpose and determination - they would see this through.

A/N: Yes, Summer Rose is alive and well in this universe.

Solis Ortus is a town in a mission from Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War - in the RWBYverse it's just a quiet mountain town.

I LOVE writing the Bees

'The Fox and the Bird' is a nod to the album of the same name by Casey Lee Williams' band 'Ok Goodnight'. Seriously, go check out their stuff.

Yes, Adam Taurus is dead, and Blake made sure of it. Moving on.

Gladys is a nod to my grandmother whom I miss dearly everyday.

Tim is a nod to my Executive Chef from my first restaurant job, I would not be half the cook I am today if it wasn't for him.

I'm no DM but I tried my damnedest, the whole thing is actually inspired by a campaign I was in. Yes I turned a guy into a chicken and cooked said chicken for the barbarian in the party, and yes the DM allowed it.

The GUNPLA scene is heavily inspired by one of my favorite pieces of WR fanart done by my friend and Whiterose comrade in arms, SchneeDoTTy!

Weiss' Atlesian military uniform is basically her outfit from Ice Queendom.

I will not apologize for being a plane nerd, everything I said about the A-10 is true.

Nor will I apologize for Coco's reference (IYKYK) it fits her too well.

Personal HC that Ruby loves Kaiju movies, also personal HC that Weiss is a secret metalhead.

The song they performed is called "Blue Skies" (Remix) from the Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War OST.

Glynda giving an Ace Combat style briefing!

Yes, I like a platonic Nuts and Dolts - but Whiterose is my favorite RWBY ship and it BURNS in my soul.

I won't lie I had to do A LOT of research for the preflight and engine start up sequence, it isn't perfect, but my hope is that it will give you the visuals for your imaginations.

Oops, there's those WR crumbs again.

So couple of things I really need to address; life's been a bit...messy these last 6 months. It's all culminated in me ready to leave my job of now 5 years and seek out better employment. I won't bore with details, but basically we've shifted to a 3 day work week working 12 hour shifts. Monday-Wednesday and I'm on the 7pm-7am shift, and it's exhausting.

I've done a lot for my job, and perhaps more than I should have, but it has left me incredibly emotionally and mentally drained; they've burnt me out and it has me really fuckered up, this has made writing laborious.

I've been asked about my other fic 'Dragons Destiny'; yes I know it's been a over year. No I am not happy about that and I feel that I've let the fans of that fic down; and I am truly sorry that I have. I certainly WANT to continue writing 'Dragons Destiny', so what's going on? I still like GOT, and I've been watching HOTD. But as already stated, my current mental health state has made writing a laborious process., but there's more too it than that. A good portion of the story needs to be revised and updated because A LOT of those early chapters make me cringe. Ever look back on a story you started years ago and you look at some of it going "What the FUCK made me write THAT!?" yeah that's been me with 'Dragons Destiny'.

The biggest demotivator though have been the comments and DMs; yes I understand this is the internet but some people are just so negative for no good God damned reason. I will NEVER claim that I'm a "good writer", if you don't like my stories, then please be on your way and read something else; no one would be none the wiser. But taking time to write out a negative comment(s) JUST to be negative is pathetic- AND when I get death threats in my inbox that I should "kill myself so I don't force others to suffer my terrible writing", I'm not gunna lie that just makes me want to not bother writing at all.

The only reason I have persevered with writing this long was by the encouragement of others.

That all being said, I will do my best to write when I can and get the next chapters of BOTH stories out as soon as I can; but right now, my main focus is finding a new job - it is a necessary step I need to take to correct my mental health.

I apologize for dumping that on you all, especially to my new readers; I don't normally like airing my problems like this - but I was ABSOLUTELY tired of holding it all in.

Anyways, on the next chapter of Ace Combat: Remnant - Operation Phalanx