AN:This is gonna be a SHORT Exposition. Longer one will come in another chapter. I promise y'all that.
"So, you guys were gonna tell us about this, right? Like, some more time after we got used to all of you, you would've told us that you're actually aliens... Right?" Yang inquired as she joined Blake and Fred on what seemed to be a daily stroll of theirs to the library. Fred nodded to her, which let her sigh in relief. Of course, they would've. Sure, the gang were friends, pretty much. She spoke, "Good to know! I was actually worried you guys would've..."
"I know, Yang," Fred stated, which shut Yang up for the moment. The man continued, "Being quiet on the matter was the Chief's and Cortana's idea. More just hers, it seemed, to be quite honest. She and the Chief both figured that the idea of... People coming back from the dead in the middle of your planet's wilderness and cities seemed just a bit too out there."
"I mean," Yang chuckled, "It kind of is like the premise of one of Blake's books."
"Hey!" Blake turned to her teammate and partner with an angry glare, causing the blonde to chuckle. Fred snorted, then let out a hum of agreement. Blake turned toward him, then said, "Fred! Oh, I thought I'd have at least you on my side when it comes to my books! We read them together when we were on those mandatory breaks you put me through for doing too much research relating to the White Fang!"
"Blake, you have to admit," He shrugged, "The stuff you read is pretty out there, especially the romance books."
Fred had gotten a first-hand experience of miss Belladonna's reading preferences. To say he was stunned that the quietest of the four girls in team RWBY had proven to be one of the weirdest was a surprise, but he had learned to appreciate literature through the little reading sessions they had had in-between their sessions of seeking information on the White Fang. Although the way Blake had mentioned the 'breaks' seemed to have garnered a smirk from her blonde fighting partner.
Blake rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Whatever... Still, it probably is far less far-fetched than whatever got D-... John," She paused, then mulled on the name change for a bit. It had been a few months since they first met the SPARTAN and they had always known him as Dylan. She'd get used to the name eventually. She sighed and continued, "Than whatever John decided to keep from us," and she quoted, "'for our own sakes, as doctor Halsey said."
"It is," Fred replied, "I, Kelly and Linda had only read the reports on what happened above Earth when he first came back."
Yang hummed, then asked with genuine curiosity, "Earth's your humanity's homeworld, right? Or..."
"Good deductive skills, Yang. Yes, Earth is mankind's cradle where we come from," He replied sharply, then explained, "It's the capital of the United Earth Government and all human Colonies spread out across the Milky Way galaxy. Human civilization thrived and expanded from it all the way out into the stars. And, until we landed upon Remnant? We thought it was the only world humanity had naturally developed on."
"And then we came along and ruined everything," Yang smirked.
Blake chuckled, "If I was still in the White Fang, I'd have probably agreed. Good thing I'm not," and she smiled at Yang, then at Fred. The blonde seemed stunned for a moment, but she let out a light chuckle, rubbing the back of her neck as her cheeks flushed red. Fred, meanwhile, simply ignored the exchange. He'd been tasked by the Chief to escort Blake and Yang to the library so they could actually study for an upcoming exam. And so he could help them.
"So," Yang diverted and looked to Fred, "What is Doc Halsey to you guys and girls, anyway?"
"She's the woman who made us who we are," Fred explained, "And that's all I'm liberty to say until she gives the go-ahead."
"Ooh, top-secret stuff. Noted," Yang grinned mischievously again. Fred didn't even want to know what was in her mind at this point, however. He didn't bother to ask as he opened the library door for them, then walked with them to go retrieve the books necessary for the study session. Yang kept sneaking peeks at him, though. He noticed it, but, yet again, he did not say anything.
After retrieving the books, he stopped and said, "I'll go back to our accommodations. I bet doctor Halsey's going to want to see all of us gathered there."
"We'll call Ruby and Weiss for the study session when we get to our dorms, then," Blake said. He nodded approvingly, to which Blake said, "Well, we'll be seeing you around, Fred. Say hello to the others for us and tell John it's fine," and, with that, the girls let him depart as they picked up the books they wanted to check out. Blake, however, could feel the smug smirk and the stare of her blonde companion locked onto her. She sighed, then said dispassionately, "What is it, Yang...?"
"Reading sessions, ey?" Smirked the girl as they walked to the checkout booth and scanned the books.
Blake pinched the bow of her nose and groaned, "I knew you were going to mention that," before turning to her and replying with the most serious 'done-with-your-shit' look Blake Belladonna herself had ever worn, "Fred helps me find the information both our parties need to find the White Fang. However, he pushes me to take breaks as not to overwork myself..."
"So, he's doing good by ya," Yang quipped, causing Blake's eyes to nearly roll into the back of her skull. The girl let out a snark-filled giggle, then said, "Sorry, Blakey, sorry. I'm glad you two are getting along... And I am glad that Doc Halsey decided they should spill the beans. Still," as the clerk at the station scanned their books and noted their return dates on the computer. She spoke, "I still can't believe it."
"It is... A lot," Blake admitted with a heavy sigh, "That, not only is there another humanity, but it's prospered enough to go up there? Beyond the blue sky and into space?"
"Hey, maybe we'll get a chance to. Some day," Yang reassured her as she hefted her stack of books. She and Blake walked out of the building after bidding goodbye and aimed for their dorms. Yang clarified, "You know, see up there. The wide space. Outside of movies and the likes," as they passed by a bunch of other fellow Beacon alumni. Blake sighed deeply.
"Maybe," She said with a hopeful tone. The two entered their dorm bloc and marched up to their room, entering only to find Ruby and Weiss already inside, with the former reading through something on the larger variation of the Scroll, the tablet. Weiss turned to the girls, then nodded and went to help Blake carry the books by taking half, setting them aside on her desk while Yang and Blake worked to place the others around.
"Well," Weiss started, "Good to see you taking studying more seriously, Yang."
Yang shrugged, "Hey, anything that keeps us at pace with our new old friends," And she flashed a grin at Weiss, before turning to Ruby. She asked, "Whatcha reading, Sis?" As she approached the girl, Ruby turned toward her and smiled as she lifted up the device, showing it was an article about the SPARTANs. More specifically, about who they were supposed to be, as posted by Vale News Network's online presence.
"Who are the mysterious armored soldiers?" Yang read the title, somewhat surprising everyone. She continued reading, "An unknown force of Soldiers was spotted some nights ago, during a surprising event relating to the lost Paladin production models belonging to the Atlas Military. A battle ensued on one of the main viaducts of the city of Vale that led to the industrial district. These soldiers, alongside a group of four unidentified Huntresses and a squadron of soldiers aboard a gunship. The images within this article were taken by freelance journalists and local civilians, but have been corroborated by multiple sources..."
"Huh," Weiss said, looking over the images of the battle between them and the Paladin. She hummed, then looked to Yang and Ruby and said, "Perhaps we should tell the Headmaster and SPARTANs about this."
Blake sighed, "I'll send a message with the link to Fred."
"Gotcha," Yang nodded, "Guess we're still gonna have to study."
"Yeah," Ruby sighed, then tossed the tablet onto her bed. She stood to her feet, took a moment to think, then grinned and looked to her team, "How about we call JNPR in as well?"
"A study party? Heck yeah!" Her sister perked up. Weiss and Blake looked to each-other with concern, aware of how well this would go. Poor Weiss already dreaded having to study with the two most overactive members in her team, but here they were, bringing Nora into the mix, not to mention Jaune with his incessant flirtatious attitude toward her. Admittedly, the young man had dialed it down and (presumably) started seeing something in Pyrrha... No, probably not.
Before either she, or Blake could oppose the idea, however, Ruby had already rung the four extra party members and, in the blink of an eye, Nora burst through the door, a grin on her face and arms raised high(one of which was holding a sleeping bag) as she cried out "STUDY AND SLEEPOVER PARTY!" in the most ecstatic tone possible. Weiss silently thanked the gods that the exam was still a couple of days away, then watched as Ren, Pyrrha and, finally, Vomit-Boy himself filtered in.
"Good afternoon," Ren greeted.
"Hello!" Pyrrha jovially added, smiling.
"Hey," Jaune waved awkwardly. And thus, the 'squad' was complete. Nora had immediately gotten down to brass tacks and started spreading out her sleeping mat and her stuff between the beds, while Pyrrha set up at the foot of Weiss and Ruby's beds. As the gang set up and brought out their books, Jaune couldn't help but wonder, asking, "Are you girls sure this is alright?"
"Sure, it's a study sesh, ain't it?" Yang shrugged, then plopped herself on her bed, "Plus, we get to chat."
"True," Jaune nodded, then sat himself down on his sleep roll, which had no markings on it whatsoever, it seemed. Looked like Jaune was trying to conceal something, though, because it had some sort of cover on top of it. Weiss didn't dare ask, nor did anyone else of her team... For the time being, anyway, Weiss thought as she settled down on her seat and pulled one of the books from the stack. The others spread the books out among themselves and began to study.
And it took less than the span of a minute for Nora to start, "So, what do you guys think about the little reveal we just had?"
"If you mean the Spartans," Weiss started as she continued reading from the 'Physiology of the Grimm' book she was holding, (Yes, it was an exam for Prof. Port's class), "Then, it was an interesting, if enlightening event. The fact that they come from a far more advanced human society should've been unsurprising, however, simply due to the fact their armor seemed far too advanced to be made by the hands of local craftsmen and smiths, or by the hands of people like us."
Everyone exchanged glances for a moment, with only Pyrrha voicing, "So, you say we should have figured it out?"
"No, it was still a big surprise," Weiss replied, "That they are alien to Remnant, I mean. That they're advanced, not so much..."
"Hm, fair," Pyrrha nodded, "Still, they are an interesting group. This 'United Nations Space Command'..."
"I agree," Jaune said.
"They are fairly professional, at least," Ren added, writing down something from his book, "And friendly."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Beacon Tower
Doctor Halsey had begun a short recount of the historical events of humanity, ranging from the pre-civilization age to the earliest empires, then to the Romans and Greeks, further on into the Medieval and into the modern world, including the information age of the very early two thousands. Tens of thousands of years of history had been summed up by doctor Halsey in the span of an hour, coherently at that.
She continued, "And after the discovery of the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Drive, Humanity has since expanded across a multitude of worlds, thus forming the United Earth Government, the Inner and Outer Colonies and our little interstellar empire. That leads us into the twenty-five hundreds, with the latest year prior to my arrival and the arrival of John and his SPARTANs here being twenty-five fifty-eight," and she looked at the tablet in Ozpin's hand as the man read it. Tapping it with her finger and sliding her finger from right to left, she moved onto the next article of importance. The late Insurrection and early Human-Covenant War, both of which seemed to pique the interest of the men and woman present.
"Now, onto very recent events... The Insurrection, I will go over briefly due to it having a significant detailing of all accounts in the data I brought to you," She spoke calmly, though some ire was felt behind her words, "The UNSC faced the Insurrection, a conglomerate of military factions and terror groups opposed to the UEG's control of the Outer Colonies and seeking to secede. Though their early efforts were concerted, akin to a rational army, the ten-year war between us and them was forced to come to a grinding halt. That brings us into the next section of our tale."
"Doctor, if I may," Ironwood started, "The casualty reports here are-"
"Horrifying, yes, I am aware," Halsey sighed as she noticed the Headmasters' different demeanors. Whereas Ironwood read through the files attentively, Ozpin seemed less concerned, simply like he was reading a historical account. She hummed, making a mental note of the man's calm, then continued, "The Human-Covenant War... This is where things get infinitely worse..."
She pushed forth on the tablet and holographic images emerged, three-dimensional. One was a distorted form, a warship with a bulbous hull, resembling a sea monster of old tales. The other was a planet, habitable, according to details. Harvest. Halsey began again, her voice more grim now, "In 2525, at the apogee of Operation:TREBUCHET, the Colonial Military Administration, the UNSC and Humanity at large made contact with the foe that would shape us into what we are today..."
"The Covenant," Halsey sighed, then connected her own table to the device and projected more images. Images of alien creatures in battle, of bolts of energy flying toward the cameramen, of drones flying in the sky, watching as ships of similar designs to the one distorted image descended upon what looked to be a city of glass and concrete and dirt, with fields and fields of golden crops. She spoke, "A Theocratic, militaristic hegemony of alien species, came into contact with us."
She played the audio file as the first beam of energy struck down upon Harvest's capital city. An alien, seemingly translated voice, spoke harshly, "Your destruction is the will of the Gods! And we? We are their instrument!" as the unnerving images of Harvest boiled over, each camera dying as its operator was hit, or as it in itself was destroyed. Ozpin stared with wider eyes this time, at the destruction, the sheer carnage.
Miss Goodwitch had taken a moment to compose herself, while the general had instinctively covered his wide-open mouth, terror sinking its blade deep into his heart as he watched the beams burn swathes across Harvest... Then a hundred other planets. Halsey spoke, "To... Make a long story as short as possible, Humanity was losing. Badly. All the footage you see is real, captured from every world the Covenant burned and coalesced into a portrait of the very War for Survival Humanity in our realm has fought..."
"Unbelievable..." Murmured Ironwood, while Ozpin remained eerily silent, possibly taking in the images.
Goodwitch looked to Halsey and asked with a whimper, "Is... That why the SPARTANs exist?"
"Yes and no," Halsey replied, "Originally, they were meant for the Insurrection. Programs and calculations showed mankind would've devolved into civil strife the likes of which hadn't been seen since the Second World War. But, they did come just in time to counteract the Covenant. At great cost, disappointingly," And she had murmured that last part as she watched her soon-to-be compatriots take it all in.
"What happened?" Ozpin asked. Noticing a slight confusion in Halsey's face, he clarified, "To the Human-Covenant War."
"We won," She spoke remorsefully, "At a great cost."
... Glynda fainted as soon as the numbers of dead started scrolling across the screen. A total of thirty-three billion dead across dozens of worlds that the Covenant had burned in almost thirty years of brutal warfare, while Ozpin closed his eyes and bowed his head and the General uncapped his flask and chugged down two-thirds of the content. Halsey, her mouth dry, explained, "If you will pardon me, Headmaster, General, miss Goodwitch, the story is better explained in detail there... And if we are to ever reveal ourselves to the public, I would be glad to tell it fully in front of the cameras. Right now, however? I wish to... Spend some time with my SPARTANs."
"I understand, Doctor," Ozpin said in a murmur, "Thank you for... Enlightening us."
Halsey nodded, bid a quick goodbye and departed, with Ironwood stating aloud as soon as she left with the elevator, "I can't believe this, and yet... All the data, all the details, all the videos and images...!" and he seemed paler than before. Uneasily, he took two steps toward a chair at the front of Ozpin's desk and sat himself down, rubbing his temples, "My god..."
"A genocidal war... And mankind survived it," Ozpin stated, setting the tablet down, "She detailed every battle, from the Battles of Harvest, to a world called Miridem, to even Reach and Earth... Incredible."
"And terrifying," Glynda stated bluntly, "This cannot get out to the public... Not yet..."
"I agree," Ozpin noted, "Best to keep it under wraps. From everyone... Including your military assets, James." And Ironwood offered a simple nod as an answer. It would demoralize their troops severely. Then again, it would presumably be a whiplash, Ironwood thought, as it had been for them moments ago. He sighed, then rubbed his eyes, looking at the elevator with both awe and fear... Just who was this twin Humanity, if they survived after all that?
... Halsey, meanwhile, had marched down from the Tower, toward the house where her SPARTANs and their comrades lay. She found it and saw the people milling about outside. Marines snapped to, saluting a civilian of all people. She indulged it, saluting them back, then entering the house, to see them all. From SPARTAN-IIIs like NOBLE Team, to IIs like Jorge, the Reds from the Fall of Reach and BLUE TEAM.
John and Cortana had seen her come in. Cortana smiled at Halsey, while John remained ever the stoic young man, truly young now after his seeming de-aging process. The other SPARTANs, both Twos and Threes, gathered around her, helmets off their heads. If Halsey did not know better, she could swear she now stared at the very sins she had done. She did, however, know better. Before her stood the best the UNSC, the UEG, hell, all of Humanity had to offer. John, Samuel, Frederick, Kelly, Linda, Daisy, Cal, Jorge... Even Carter, Kat and the rest of NOBLE TEAM.
"Ma'am," John nodded, breaking the silence in the room. Halsey noted that no SPARTAN stared at her with ire or hatred. Instead, even Daisy, one of the most rebellious of the SPARTAN-II Class, smiled at the Doctor, with Cal beside her bearing, uh. Wolf ears, as it'd seem. Kelly herself also had rabbit ears and another Spartan had a fox's ears. She blinked, then sighed deeply.
And she smiled, speaking, "None of you have any idea how good it is to see you all alive again. Especially after... All these years."
"You know the saying, Ma'am," Jorge quipped, "SPARTANs never die."
"They're just Missing in Action," Kurt voiced from beside him, smiling, too. Halsey nodded, thankful for the first time in her life to hear those words from anyone's mouth. Specifically because it was them. Jorge and Kurt. Two soldiers, two SPARTANs, one of which she had nearly witnessed the death of, while another died just above her during the Fall.
"Remind me to talk to you properly about 'being right behind us', Kurt. I still do not appreciate what you pulled on Onyx, or Trevelyan as it is called today," Halsey scolded him. His smile grew, however. She looked around, at all of them and the Marines, then continued, her voice calm, but focused, "However, because we are alive, it means our missions clearly are not done yet. Remnant is in a war not to dissimilar from our own, though theirs seems to be at a Stalemate. You have all given your lives for mankind and I am sure you would do so again if asked, so I will tell you this. What I ask next is optional. You do not have to volunteer if you want your peaceful lives now."
"But, this war... it is ours as much as it is of the people of Remnant," She then began, "We still have a duty. There is no command chain beyond your own, no orders you need to follow beside what you think is right for yourselves. Humanity, however, is our people. Even though some of you may now bear..." She chuckled, "Faunus traits, pardon me, girls... And we have all sworn a vow to fight for it."
"So, I ask this. Whoever wishes to continue fighting, to rid this world of the threat of the Grimm so that we may, perhaps, find some measure of peace in living our lives here, please take a step forward. None of you will be judged for denying-" She was interrupted by all pairs of boots in the room taking one step forward. Another smile crept onto Halsey's face, one of pride, because she knew all of them well. Even Johnson and his Marines.
"Ma'am," Johnson grinned, "Just tell us whose asses we need to kick."
Several SPARTANs clearly stifled some laughter. Halsey made another mental note, this time regarding doing psych checkups of her SPARTANs, before replying, "I will, once Headmaster Ozpin is done reading the debrief on the UNSC and us and he calls me up to speak to him. I will ask him of the threats we face then... Otherwise, I repeat this, I am glad to see you all alive."
She then took her glasses off, looking each of them in the eye, "However... Please, learn to also live your lives here, among the people of Remnant. Your lives are now your own, reborn, rebuilt and free, my SPARTANs. You should choose how to live them. And live them properly, as I know you all will, for I cannot vouch for the Marines in the room..." And that got several belly laughs from the Marines themselves.
Penny, meanwhile, stared at the exchange with a smile...
Damned be her orders for now. She wouldn't ruin this.